Category Archives: Poems

Up is Down

22 Wednesday Jun 2016

Posted by in Knowledge, Opposition, Poems, Prophets

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up_is_down_by_danielabdu-d4qz9ix

 

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!

 

  1. 2 Nephi 31:20
  2. 2 Nephi 9:29
  3. Mathew 6:24
  4. 2 Nephi 28:21
  5. 2 Nephi 28:21

By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them

18 Monday Apr 2016

Posted by in General, Poems, Prophets

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01-wolf-in-sheeps-clothing

Almost 20 years ago, I was a brand new missionary fresh from the MTC and had just arrived in Salvador, Brazil. It was a lot different than Payson, Utah where I had grown up. The people were different, the climate was different, the language was different, the food was different, the everything was different. But I was excited about the one thing that, I had heard, was awesome in Brazil. The fruit.

I would soon get to experience the exotic, fresh, tropical fruit that I’d really only heard about. The kind of fruit that you could pluck from the vines while using a machete traveling through the thick rain forest jungle.

It took only a couple of days before I had my first experience with this famous Brazilian delicacy. On my second day in my new country, I was still in a small group with a few of the Elders in my MTC district and we had basically been relegated to wandering around with a babysitter Elder while we waited for all of our assigned companions to arrive by bus, and take us back to our individual areas. Our babysitter Elder was a native Brazilian guy who spoke no English, but was super excited to share his “Brazilian-ness”with us newbie Americans that morning.

Breakfast was all on him. He treated us to the most delicious meal imaginable. He went all out to impress us. We skipped the normal breakfast of bread and juice that morning as he prepared sliced, fresh papaya, and milk.

Now, the milk he made that morning wasn’t what we would normally imagine when we hear milk. Not the super cold, fresh white stuff that comes from a super fat cow in some Wisconsin dairy farm. Nope. This milk was made from warm water that had been boiled, and then sent through a clay filter, then mixed with the dehydrated milk powder your mom used to try and get you to drink when you were a kid. Not delicious. And we were just getting started.

The papaya slices, however, were fresh, I’m sure it had been on a tree up until the day before. The day had finally come for my fresh tropical fruit baptism, and I was excited! But, I had never had papaya before. And that was a problem, because I wasn’t prepared for what happened when I first brought that fruit toward my anxious watering mouth.

I knew that something was wrong when the fruit neared the 2 inches away from my mouth mark, because that is where my nose was able to pick up on the aroma that emanated from that freshly cut morsel. Warning bells, alarms, and sirens flooded my mind and ears. Red flashing lights, and stop signs suddenly flashed before my eyes. Something was definitely wrong! The unmistakably stench of vomit had just invaded my nose! How could that be? It was a just a beautiful tropical exotic fruit, it wasn’t making sense! Then, a fraction of a second later, it made perfect sense, because having been locked in the motion of putting that slice into my mouth I had passed the point of no return.

It hit my tastebuds and was disastrous. My tastebuds then verified and intensified the warning signals my nose had initiated. It tasted just like it smelled. It was as if I had willingly placed a slightly solid or at least congealed slice of warm, formed emesis, or vomit into my mouth. You’re welcome for that thought. Papaya was nothing but a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

I was at a loss. I didn’t know what to do. All I could do, was try and wash it down with some of the warm pretend milk. I looked up at the grinning face of the Elder who had nearly killed me, and smiled and gave him the thumbs up sign. What else could I do?

Needless to say, papaya is not on my list of delicious fruits. In fact, its on my list of apostate foods. Im sure papaya only came into being after Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, along with the thorns, weeds, briers, and asparagus.

What did I learn that day? Not all fruit is good. Something that I really hadn’t imagined could even be possible. Tyson, also on his mission in Brazil, learned this same lesson. Besides, after eating an apple cobbler, or cherry hostess pie, how could you think that all fruit wasn’t delicious?

Fruit is a perfect analogy for spiritual effects. Is it any wonder that the Savior taught us how to recognize truth by comparing it to fruit?

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.…Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them¹.”

We can know the truth or recognize it when we taste it! It will either be sweet, and delicious, or it won’t be. Lehi and Nephi tasted the fruit in his dream about the tree of life. It was “sweet, and desirable above all other fruits²!”

The Lord also describes how it will taste or, in a spiritual sense, feel, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,  [and] temperance³…”

This is still very relevant today because there are a lot of artificial fruits out there. Some are purposefully meant to deceive. Many other doctrines, ideas, cultural norms, lifestyles, traditions, histories, or thoughts specifically target us. They are meant to pull us away from the real fruit that is delicious, by deceiving us with different fruit that looks great, but in reality, is nothing more than those fake, hollow, plastic things used for Thanksgiving decorations.

Earlier on this blog, Tyson described fruit as “a literal product of, or the end result of the growth process of [the] tree…”. If we look at each doctrine, or piece of information we read or come by in this sense, we can determine what type of tree it came from both by looking backward and then forward from the time the fruit was picked. What kind of tree did this particular fruit come from? Was it scripture? Words from the prophets? Or, was it found on a Wikipedia bush? If we look forward from the time we sink our teeth into it, we can spiritually “taste” if it is truly sweet.

Real fruit has a real sweetness that produces real happiness, joy, peace and love. False fruits or untruth has the opposite effect. Confusion, anger, bitterness, contention, and hatred. When we examine what kinds of effects the fruit we eat has on us, which of these two camps do we find ourselves in?

We can know truth when we see, hear, or read it by the power of the Holy Ghost. He will not deceive us. We can be protected from the wolf in sheep’s clothing. We just need to be able to recognize the taste as either something resembling a homemade fresh apple pie, or a rotten sliced papaya (in my case).

When we go through life and experience all sorts of different fruits, lets pay closer attention to the effects each bite has on us. Truth will bring happiness, love and contentment. Untruth will bring sadness, anger, and contention.

This life will be full of rocky patches and confusing roads. The better we are able to understand and trust our spiritual tastebuds, the real fruit will be able to guide us and keep us on the true path.

papaya

Most fruits, when from the trees are plucked,
And then consumed, or juiced, or sucked,
Produce a happy, yummy taste,
Unless, of course, you’ve sadly placed,
Papaya on your tasting buds,
Then, memories begin to flood,
of vomit bursting from your lips,
and finally, you’ll come to grips,
That not all fruits are good to eat,
Especially those that taste like feet.

  1. Mathew 7:15-20
  2. 1 Nephi 8:12
  3. Galatians 5:22,23

Be Content with Clark Kent

29 Tuesday Mar 2016

Posted by in Book of Mormon, Brothers, Example, General, Poems, Power, Strength, Superheroes, Trials, Weakness

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superman

Can I really be content to get Clark Kent?
When I really need a MIRACLE to burst these bands?
This guy who looks low rent- turns out, is Heaven sent!
And underneath that suit- IS SUPERMAN!

A couple of weeks ago in Sunday School, our teacher shared a little tidbit that was awesome (Thanks again Gena). I want to try and pass on and summarize what I learned.

It was a perfect example that highlighted the difference between the realistic and unrealistic expectations in our minds when we pray for help. We seem to want, and expect the Hollywood movie version of real life. We want the dramatic flair and instantaneous resolution to our problems, but have a hard time when all we get are the seemingly plain regular answers.

The story was when Nephi and his brothers were headed back to the wilderness where their father, Lehi, was camped. This was after having returned to Jerusalem for the second time. This time, they had just convinced Ishmael and his family that it would be a sweet idea to head out into the desert for some unknown amount of time, and towards some as of yet unknown promised land.

However, somewhere along the way, Laman and Lemuel and their newly-formed merry band of misfits, did their thing, and got ticked off at some imaginary slight. They tied Nephi up, bound him with cords and left him out in the middle of nowhere in the desert, to be eaten by wild beasts. And I thought I fought with my brothers growing up…

If you were Nephi, how would you pray in this situation?

If I were a Hollywood producer, Nephi would pray, and then legions of fiery sword wielding angels would descend upon Laman and Lemuel and turn them into barbequed mincemeat, then cut his bands triumphantly and carry him on a chariot of clouds back to the desert while the Hallelujah chorus blared for everyone to hear. But, that’s not what happened.

Remember, Nephi had been down this road before. He had to deal with his bonehead brothers over and over and over again. He had also overcome all odds, and retrieved the brass plates from a wicked maniac (Laban). Nephi knew he could be delivered from the measly ropes he was tied down with. No problem. So, knowing all that, lets pay close attention to what he asks for is his pleadings with the Lord…

“But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may BURST these bands with which I am bound.¹”

Burst the bands? Thats what I’m talking about! Lets look at the definition of the word “burst” to see exactly what Nephi was asking for.

Burst = to issue forth suddenly and forcibly, break open, or fly apart with sudden violence:, to issue forth suddenly and forcibly.

Yes Please! How awesome would that be? Shards of severed ropes flying through the air as trumpet music blasts our ears and Nephi’s hands rise in clenched fists as he yells triumphantly….. Now, lets look at the actual result of that prayer…

“And it came to pass that when I had said these words, behold, the bands were LOOSED from off my hands and feet, and I stood before my brethren, and I spake unto them again.²”

Not exactly Hollywood flair. For comparison, lets now look at the definition of “loosed” (what he received) as compared to the “Burst” definition from earlier.

Loosed = free from anything that binds or restrains.

Pretty vanilla huh? The Lord got the job done. His way.

How many of us pray like that? We pray for the dramatic hero on a white horse to come in and save the day. We pray for Gandalf and the Riders of Rohan to ride over a distant hill and strike fear into the hearts of the Orcs who are attacking us. We pray for sudden, forceable deliverance from hardship, pain, or struggle. We want deliverance from whatever is ailing us, we want resistance to go away, we want instant peace, and resolution.

When we pray like this, we want, and even expect results. Now. Or at least in the next few minutes, maybe a week at most. We want results, dramatic, perceptible, obvious results. We want Clark Kent ripping off his shirt revealing Superman results!

And, if they don’t come, we are disappointed that the Lord didn’t hear us, or help us, or deliver us.

Instead of Superman, ripping off his shirt, we get this…….

christopher-reeve-superman

We pray for “burst”, but get “loosen”.
We pray for Superman, but get Clark Kent.
We pray for Gandalf and the Riders of Rohan, but get 4 tiny hobbits with hairy feet.

Nephi had asked for enough strength to perform the Superman “burst”. What Nephi got was Clark Kent secretly unbuttoning his shirt in a phone booth, methodically, slowly, maybe even awkwardly.

But, this is the exact point, and heart of the lesson! His strength was increased! And it was enough to loosen the bands. Probably after much wriggling, struggling, pulling, twisting, pushing, and pulling. He did not sit idle and wait. He did receive strength to loosen the bands that held him captive. He was able to become stronger and overcome. It just wasn’t in the dramatic hollywood way.

Remember, this was the same Nephi that fashioned a wooden bow and arrow after his fancy steel one broke leaving his family without any means of obtaining food. This was the same Nephi that built a ship after never having built one before. This was the same Nephi that smote Laban after shrinking, having never before spilt the blood of man.

His actions were coupled with, and enabled by, the strength from the Lord. That is how He works! He just doesn’t swoop in and do it for us, He allows us to grow and be able to help ourselves!

When we think about it, that Clark Kent answer that Nephi received, just like in the movies, eventually did change into that same Superman.

His bands didn’t burst, but he also didn’t wait for that to happen. He didn’t wait for Superman, he was strengthened to become a superman.

Do we do the same thing? After we receive strength, do we attribute that help as coming from the Lord? Or do we think that it was us, ourselves? Do we give credit to the Lord when all we get is just what we need? Or do we get upset, impatient, and resentful that we seemingly have to do it all on our own? Do we embrace the struggle, wriggle, fight, and strain? Do we recognize the small changes that the Lord effects in us to alter the outcome?

If the change or added strength is slow, methodical, gradual, almost imperceptible do we STILL give the Lord the credit for fostering that change like Nephi did? The Lord is certainly capable of bringing about dramatic and immediate changes, but He gives us just what we need. Its much more likely that He will strengthen us just enough for us to grow, stretch, and overcome.

Lets remember that the Lord is perfectly in charge of every little aspect of our lives. He knows. He knows exactly what we need, when we need, how we need, and who we need. He already knows. Sometimes “My way” needs to take a big old back seat to “His way”.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths³.”

And for another final piece of humble pie….

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts 4.”

Lets try and trust him a little bit more, and never just stop and wait for the Hollywood version of real life. Lets continue fighting, wriggling, straining, pulling, tugging, and pressing forward. Lets be happy with Clark Kent, because he is Superman5! Lets be happy with the 4 hairy hobbits, because they are the secret heroes. Let’s be happy with loosened bands, because they still allow us to be free.

“Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him 6.”

 

 

1. 1 Nephi 7:17
2. 1 Nephi 7:18
3. Proverbs 3:5,6
4. Isaiah 55:9
5. Riley beat me to this Superman subject. His original post can be found here.
6. Psalms 28:6,7

The Crumbling Walls of Stone

22 Tuesday Dec 2015

Posted by in Battle, Faith, General, Jesus Christ, Loyalty, Poems, Prison, Trials, Weakness

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nevitsky-castle-zakarpattia-region-ukraine-1

No matter what is happening in our world, or even in our own neighborhoods, or communities, we can be safe. Its hard to believe sometimes given the nature of our enemies. Real safety isn’t a mortal achievement at all, but an eternal one. Once we realize that our lives don’t really start  when we are born, nor end when we die, we can see with the proper perspective to understand this.

Sometimes it seems like we are living in a modern day movie of history repeating itself. If that is so, lets look to what our ancient forefathers did to keep themselves safe, or what they didn’t do to bring on their demise.

In the scriptures, we learn that our modern difficulties will only increase, times will be harder, and evil will grow in scope, and power. We need to be able to recognize what is really happening all around us, and not repeat the same mistakes that so many throughout history have made- the mistake of forgetting God. We cannot forget who we are, why we are here, and in whom we must rely to find real safety, and real peace.

 

The Crumbling Walls of Stone

The walls of stone around us built by hands of mortal make,
have claimed to offer solace from dark storm, strong wind, and quake.

Protecting from our foes without, this shelter here inside,
constructed by the hands of those who fought, and bled, and died.

And for these many years have stood, sustained by God alone,
As men within these walls have knelt before our Maker’s throne.

But now, dark forces in and out, relentlessly conspire,
to weaken all these stones, by fear, and flame of dragon fire.

For not all men within now kneel before the strength and pow’r,
of Him whose hand would strengthen all in desperation’s hour.

Now as the walls around us fall, and enemies abound,
He still extends His call to us, His safety can be found,

And we can be untouched by flying shards of rending stone,
To walk in peace and safety- even though we walk alone,

And as our father Alma walked with pow’r from prison rent,
So can we, if we rely, on Him who Father sent.

These great walls, sustained by God, now stand all on their own,
Relying on the strength of men, and crumbling ancient stone.

Are we now ready, in our hearts, to face the world outside?
To kneel, to walk, and stand alone, and in the Lord confide?

Come feel His warming love, and light, that neither fades nor dims!
Petition his eternal peace that comes through faith in Him!

Though enemies deride, and tempests beat before our face,
Our souls can stand fulfilled, instilled, with everlasting grace!

 

Treasure In Earthen Vessels

20 Sunday Sep 2015

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

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jarsofclay

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!

A Light to End All Darkness

06 Sunday Sep 2015

Posted by in Faith, General, Joseph Smith, Poems

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jsfv

In this post, I think I should explain why it is that I write a lot of my thoughts down in poems. I never really thought I would ever do that, its just something that kind of happened. But, to me, poetry has an ability to enhance the visualization of the words on the page, or a way to better describe what it is I am trying to say. It elevates the sentiment. Im not saying that I am the next Edgar Allen Poe, or anyone special, but I do enjoy thinking, and visualizing these thoughts into verses that do those thoughts more justice than they would otherwise receive. Poetic words, in a way, almost paint a picture in my mind. I think that poetry or lyrics compromise at least half of the power of music. Take away the sounds of good music, and with just words, the power remains.

Parley P. Pratt (author of several hymns) wrote of a time when he was jailed together with Joseph in the Richmond Jail. Parley described their jailers as men “of the most noisy, foul-mouthed, vulgar, disgraceful rabble that ever defiled the earth”. He describes the event like this…

“In one of those tedious nights we had lain as if in sleep till the hour of midnight had passed, and our ears and hearts bad been pained, while we had listened for hours to the obscene jests, the horrid oaths, the dreadful blasphemies and filthy language of our guards, Colonel Price at their head, as they recounted to each other their deeds of rapine, murder, robbery, etc., which they had committed among the “Mormons” while at Far West and vicinity. They even boasted of defiling by force wives, daughters and virgins, and of shooting or dashing out the brains of men, women and children.
I had listened till I became so disgusted, shocked, horrified, and so filled with the spirit of indignant justice that I could scarcely refrain from rising upon my feet and rebuking the guards; but had said nothing to Joseph, or any one else, although I lay next to him and knew he was awake. On a sudden he arose to his feet, and spoke in a voice of thunder, or as the roaring lion, uttering, as near as I can recollect, the following words:

SILENCE, ye fiends of the infernal pit. In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still; I will not live another minute and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die THIS INSTANT!

He ceased to speak. He stood erect in terrible majesty. Chained, and without a weapon; calm, unruffled and dignified as an angel, he looked upon the quailing guards, whose weapons were lowered or dropped to the ground; whose knees smote together, and who, shrinking into a corner, or crouching at his feet, begged his pardon, and remained quiet till a change of guards.

I have seen the ministers of justice, clothed in magisterial robes, and criminals arraigned before them, while life was suspended on a breath, in the Courts of England; I have witnessed a Congress in solemn session to give laws to nations; I have tried to conceive of kings, of royal courts, of thrones and crowns; and of emperors assembled to decide the fate of kingdoms; but dignity and majesty have I seen but once, as it stood in chains, at midnight, in a dungeon in an obscure village of Missouri.

I love the picture in my head that comes as Parley describes the dignity of Joseph Smith.

Words can be so much more than just words. They can move us to feelings of loyalty, honor, indignation, courage, love, or reverence. Even better when those words describe something amazing.

To me, one of the most important events in the history of the world is the story of Joseph Smith and the first vision. It contains an immense inherent power that I feel each and every time I hear it, present it, think about it, or hear songs about it. It happened. There is no question.

So, I have written a few words to try and express my testimony of this event and of this man. I want my testimony to be public, on the record, etched in stone, so that there is no doubt as to where I stand. I want my kids to be able to look back at these words when I am gone, and draw strength from them. I look forward to the day that I can stand shoulder to shoulder with Joseph Smith, embrace him, and thank him for his immense personal sacrifice so that I, with my family, could enjoy the fullness of the blessings of God. I love him. I honor him, and I will praise him forever. God bless Brother Joseph.

 

A Light to End all Darkness

A blinding mist obscured the light that shone above the clouds,
While God withheld His lightning strike that soon would split the shroud-
A blanket o’er the world of man, no light therein allowed-
To see God’s purity and truth through apostatic cloud.

False men with lightless eyes proclaimed to own inspired sight,
while boasting truth within them lay interpretations right,
and damning those not joined with them to suffer hellish plight,
The snake had hissed his blinding mist that shaded God’s pure light.

But stifling darkness o’er the land could not disrupt the Mighty’s hand,
Inspired by whisp’ring spirit voice, a boy, obscure, was meant to stand.
The hosts of angels in the clouds of Heav’n knew the plan.
For God himself would bring the truth- restore to lightless land!

A darkened path seemed naught to be the will of loving God,
Whose prophets taught to follow him- to tread as He had trod,
While preaching mouths did honor Him, inside- their hearts lay flawed,
For bitterness and strife there dwelt, not fertile gospel sod.

This humble boy, confused by all the animosity,
Then read a verse in bible text, that promised he could see,
E’en for himself the truth unknown, if asked in faithful plea,
So on his knees, petition sent, in sacred grove of trees.

And as his mouth to heaven sent that soft and secret prayer,
The serpent came in power to arrest and bind him there,
With deepest black of darkest night, with fear beyond compare,
It overcame that humble boy now filled with deep despair.

His tongue was bound by serpent chains, and could not force a sound,
The overwhelming darkness held him prisoner on the ground
His soul, now on the precipice, black emptiness around,
Almost succumbed to evil’s grip, and helplessness profound.

But, in that very moment of his ultimate despair,
A light of magnitude n’er seen, descended from the air,
And settled on his feeble form, dispersed like lightning’s flare,
A brilliant beam of Heaven’s love and light beyond compare!

All black dispersed, with shrieking wail, in deferential flight,
as every creviced inch of earth was bathed in brilliant white!
And gone were feelings borne of him who’s mist obscured clear sight,
Replaced with overwhelming love- midday replaced the night!

All life then bowed before Creator of the Earth and skies!
Descending in pure majesty- The Father at his side!
The God of all the Universe! Perfected! Glorified!
Restoring revelation’s pow’r, the veil cleared from men’s eyes!

That young and humble, faithful boy, with trembling, shaking hands,
Had just beheld majestic glory of the Son of Man!
And now would rise as Prophet to restore the gospel plan,
To share! Declare! that truth returned to promised cov’nant lands!

The prophet Joseph then subjected to the serpent’s ire,
Would feel the whip, and feathered tar as wicked men conspired,
To snuff the light within him lit, and douse the gospel fire
With violent rage of blinded men, now minions of the liar!

Refined through lonely hours in prison, cold and suffering,
Illegalities unchecked, compounded winter’s sting,
His prayers sent up in sorrow’s bane did heav’nly comfort bring,
As Joseph’s faith through wind and fire became his offering.

Then willingly, to Carthage, midst the snarling mob of hell,
Who’s violent hate, and lawlessness had prov’n intent to quell,
The tidal wave of light o’reflowing from prophetic well,
That fed the flood that o’er the thirsting earth began to swell!

Now musket ball would end the hallowed life of that great man,
Fired from the coward’s rifle, by corrupted evil hands,
His brother Hyrum’s martyred blood would also stain that land,
And cry aloud for vengeance, while their testimonies stand!

This light to end all darkness, true revelations power,
was saved to come to Earth through him in designated hour,
And serve as beacon, to us all- all darkness to devour,
This light to end all darkness, meant to feed the gospel flower.

This mighty man, the prophet dear, My Prophet still, he stands!
and mingles with the Gods above, yet still, for me, he plans,
And I shall know and see his face, embrace, and clasp his hands!
And I shall honor and revere- SHOUT praise to that great man!

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The Land of the Covenant

12 Wednesday Aug 2015

Posted by in Battle, Blessings, General, Poems, Success, Trials

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Abrahampoem

 “…Inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise.”      -1 Nephi 4:14

                                                                         

God has always made covenants with His people. He promises his blessings of prosperity to those who enter into this covenant with Him, and who obey Him. We learn that this is the case all the way back to the beginning of life on this earth. When Adam and Eve were cast out, they covenanted with the Lord to do his will, and obey him. In return, the Lord would bless them.

Abraham, Moses, Noah, and on and on and on, all were part of this covenant people. In the Old Testament we learn about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob (later known as Israel) has 12 sons, known now as the 12 tribes of Israel. Joseph, who is one of his sons carried on this special covenant. We get a hint of what happens to his special lineage in Genesis..

“Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall…..Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: (Genesis 49:22,25)

When Lehi sent Nephi back for the plates of brass in Jerusalem, it was partly because they contained a genealogy for their family. Upon obtaining them, they learned that they were descendants from this very same Joseph. Those words in Genesis have a more literal meaning now right? As Lehi and Nephi were lead to their “promised land” they were, in essence, “running over the wall”. They also took in themselves them the lineage of the Abrahamic covenant and the promised blessings.

We also learn that the Land itself, this “Promised Land”, is a part of this Covenant. The Prophets Lehi, and Nephi, as well as all subsequent prophets of the Americas hammered on this like a drum. They had been led to, and given a promised land, and instructed that: “Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.” (2 Nephi 1:20).

So, how did the people on the American continent do? They did fine when they were keeping God’s commandments, but as soon as they slacked off, they were toast. It happened over and over again, the Jaradites? Toast. The Nephites? Toast. All because they couldn’t keep their end of the bargain. The Lord will bless those who follow Him, but eventually destroy those who do not.

So, lets fast forward a little bit. Its now 1776, and there are a bunch of new guys living on this “promised land”. They were guided here by inspiration (1 Nephi 13:12), and started to grow as a people. they were a righteous God-fearing people. And by living the commandments, and turning to God, they invoked the blessings of the land of promise. This people, who were severely outgunned, outmanned, and outmatched, were victorious in their fight for independence and liberty principally because they were righteous, and God had blessed them according to the covenant that lay upon the land.

Lets now fast forward to about 1844, the year Joseph Smith was martyred. Evil was flourishing. The saints were being slaughtered, illegally imprisoned, God’s temples were being burned, and slavery was rampant in the south. The land of the covenant needed a cleansing. The people as a whole had turned from God and chosen not to obey his commandments. And, by so doing, would soon be “cut off from His presence.”

The official cleansing process of the promised land would begin not even 20 years later in 1861. The year of the start of the Civil War. The civil war would claim the lives of 620,000 men, or 2% of the total population at the time, in today’s society thats the equivalent of 6.1 million dead soldiers.

The interesting thing to me that I learned about this war, and particularly Abraham Lincoln, was the mindset of the people, soldiers, and the president. It changed from the early days of the war into an assured and pure understanding of the meaning and reason for the conflict. By the end of the fighting, many soldiers, their leaders, and especially the President understood that the will, and hand of God Almighty was cleansing the land, the north and the south, of its sinful ways.

Its not unlike all the stories in the Book of Mormon, whose people cycled over and over again from wickedness and pride, to forced humility, then repentance and finally renewed blessings for their return to righteousness.

Listen to some of the quotes from Lincoln regarding his role, and the reason for the horrific war that he found himself smack dab in the middle of, and think to yourself – Would the leaders of our country today, this same country and covenant land, say these words?

Said Lincoln:

“Whatever shall appear to be God’s will, I shall do1.”

“I talk to God…When I could not see any other resort, I would place my whole reliance in God, knowing that all would be well, and that He would decide for the right”

“It has pleased the Almighty God to put me in my present position, and looking up to Him for divine guidance, I must work out my destiny as best I can.”

In his private journal after contemplating the war, and its effect on the people, he wrote:

“I am almost ready to say this is probably true-that God wills this contest, and wills that is shall not end yet.”

As the war continued, Lincoln’s understanding of the civil war as God’s will crystallized, and he felt that the war was indeed meant to free all men. He then declared his Emancipation proclamation, thereby freeing all the slaves in the southern states.

“God had decided this question in favor of the slaves” and later continued saying that he would keep, “this promise to myself, and to my Maker”.

In his second Inaugural address he said:

“Fondly do we hope-fervently do we pray-that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away…Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondman’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn withe the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, “the judgments of the lord are true and righteous altogether.”

These are the words of a man who completely understood the covenanted land in which he lived. He understood the reason for the conflict, and he understood the way out was to turn to God, as a people, and by so doing it would invoke His blessing, to once again bring peace.

Abraham Lincoln shares a name with one of the greatest prophets that has ever lived, and whose name is associated with the covenant that God has always kept with his people. That is no coincidence. He was a humble man, a man who was placed in his position to help lead the people in our covenant land back to God.

Do we today look to God as we should? Are we as a people and a society worthy of the blessings of Heaven? Are we fulfilling our end of the bargain, or are we ripening for another cleansing? Lets all try and be more like Abraham Lincoln and recognize that we live in a precious “promised land” but only if we live to deserve it.

The Land of the Covenant

Storm-black skies of thunderclouds,
Had blinded eyes with sinful shroud,
And settled down amidst the proud,
Who’d burned God’s temple to the ground2

The Covenant people fell.

They killed the mouthpiece of the Lord,3
Who’d warned with his inspired words
That soon, all men would meet the sword,
Of justice, heretofore ignored.

The truth rejected by the land.

As saintly blood unjustly spilled,
Cried out for justice unfulfilled,
From underneath Missouri’s fields,
And echoed thrice4 its claim appealed.

The Lord withdrew his hand

The covenant broken, unretained,
By forcing men to live in chains,
Their freedom cry would be sustained,
By his familiar sacred name.

The covenant name of Abraham.

And then the lightning struck with fire,
Dividing houses with God’s ire5,
Fulfilling Joseph’s words inspired6,
Repentance now would be required.

The time had come for Abraham.

To once again restore the land,
Dissevered by the sins of man,
God inspired the humble hands,
And bended knees of Abraham.

Humility across the land.

The war-torn land of death and pain,
Would kneel again, and sing refrains,
Of humble praise, from sin abstain,
And serve the Lord their God again.

Repentant land of Abraham.

And now with blessing from on high,
Gods people now had heard the cry,
For freedom, that was once denied
To men, Who now had wings to fly7

Freed by father Abraham.

Invoked anew this covenant land,
Humbled by the Lord’s own hand,
A nation forced to kneel-NOW STANDS!
God bless the name of Abraham!

Notes

1 All Lincoln quotes were taken from the book, “The Lincoln Hypothesis” by Timothy Ballard

2 On October 9th, 1848, the Nauvoo temple was burned and destroyed by an apparent arsonist.

3 On June 27th 1844, the prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were shot and killed by a mob while in the Carthage Jail in Illinois.

4 Joseph Smith, following this revelation from the Lord, asked for redress for the slaughter of his people in the state of Missouri.  All three petitions fell upon deaf ears.  D&C 101:86 Let them importune at the feet of the judge; 87 And if heed them not, let them importune at the feet of the governor; 88 And if the governor heed them not, let them importune at the feet of the president;

5 On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces fired upon Ft. Sumter in South Carolina officially the start of the Civil War. This would essentially divide the country in half.

6 On December 25th 1832, Joseph Smith received the revelation found in D&C 87 predicting the civil war almost 30 years prior to its actual occurrence.

7 On January 1, 1863, while still in the middle of the civil war, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order that, in essence, changed the legal status of 3 million slaves in the southern states from “slave” to “free”.

Dream Dreams

29 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by in Blessings, Dreams, General, Love, Poems, Sports, Visions

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Dreams_by_whisperfall1

 

In 1992 the greatest basketball team in the history of the world was assembled. It was the Barcelona Olympics, and for the first time, NBA players were allowed to represent team U.S.A. It was epic.

The team consisted of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippin, Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Chris Mullin, and just to be fair to all the other countries, they included some guy from Duke named Christian Laettner.

 

The games weren’t even close enough to be called a joke, they were a complete slaughter. The closest game was a 32 point win over Croatia in the Gold Medal game 117-85.

It was like the Payson, Utah Jr jazz team versus the Harlem Globetrotters. It was fun to watch. They were representing the USA in the game we invented. They were rightly dubbed, the “Dream Team”.

The Dream Team was the epitome of greatness, everyone wanted to be just like them, even the teams they were playing against! They got to live out the most dominant display of basketball skill ever. They were untouchable, beyond reproach, unbeatable, you couldn’t stop them, only hope to contain them. They were a real life dream come true.

They were one kind of “Dream Team” But, we could also put together another team that could share the same name, but in a slightly different context. This other “dream team” could be comprised of all the Prophets or even regular people in scriptures who have had famous “dreams”.

Just to name a few….

Lehi, Nephi, Alma, Omer, Abimlech, Laban the Syrian, Pharaoh, Solomon, Nebuchadnezzar, Jacob, Daniel, Joseph Father of Jesus, and even Pilot’s wife.

Dreams are just one way that the Lord can use to speak to us. He has always used dreams to communicate. Sometimes its to reveal a doctrinal discourse like the Tree of Life, and sometimes its just to warn, or to encourage. And sometimes its just a fun way our brain takes away all the limitations of a mortal mind, and lets loose on the infinite potential of our imagination!

How many times have we had dreams that may be a little more than just us showing up to school in just our underwear? or having all of our teeth fall out? How many times have we been shown something, or seen something, or felt something that may be a bit more meaningful? Is it possible?

The Lord is the same today, yesterday and forever. He did it before, why not now?

In Joel 2:28 it says……

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

I have had a few times where I have had dreams that were a bit more than the ordinary kind. I have had some that were actually quite meaningful to me. Not exactly like the dreams of Lehi or Nephi, but personal ones that have made a difference in my life. I knew, for example, that my youngest son, would be a boy before we had an ultrasound. I think the Lord gives us little snippets, or hints, just to remind us that He is close, and is aware of us.

Next time we have a special dream, where we see someone who may have passed, or an event we may have been worrying about, or something especially encouraging, maybe we should write it down, and work on the assumption that maybe, just maybe, it was sent to us on purpose, and that it may be our Heavenly Father sending a little note to us, to remind us He is there, and that He is listening.

 

Dream Dreams

When all the noise of day is gone and silence fills our ears,
Our mortal eyes at last we close, and daylight disappears.

And as we dream the dreams that mortal consciousness abates,
Our minds become the canvas where a masterpiece awaits!

We win! We sing! We save the world, with superhuman powers!
No limits to what’s possible! These precious dreaming hours!

We soar through space with ease of thought,
Just wishing- and it’s done!
We fly! defying gravity! Never tiring as we run.

But, sometimes we can see ahead, or we can sense or feel
A moment, person, or event that is, in truth, quite real.

But, when our sleepy eyes again perceive the light of day,
And wakefulness returns, our mortal limits are replaced.

But, even then, some special dreams endure our consciousness.
For they were placed there by design, to act as messages.

Of love, or of encouragement, to comfort or to teach.
Instructions given when the mortal mind is tough to reach!

In wakeful times the constant noise brings deafness to our ears,
But, dreams can be a wink from Heav’n
Reminding us it’s near.

Graceful Faceplants

12 Sunday Jul 2015

Posted by in Failure, General, Motivation, Poems, Trials, Weakness

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Everyone loves a good face plant. They are kind of like a car wreck that you can’t turn away from. You watch the video clips in anticipation, not really wanting to see it, but you cant pull away. The video clips often come in the form of a dude on a bike trying some unrealistic acrobatic slide down the railing of some concrete stairs, he makes it down about halfway before something goes horribly wrong and he ends up eating concrete and sliding face first for several feet.

We all watch, cringe, hunch over and yell out, “ooohhhh”, and then bust out laughing and being super grateful that we weren’t the poor sucker that will have road rash on his face for 8 months…..then we watch another one, and the process repeats itself until our stomach starts to turn.

We all love them, because in one way or another, we have all had a face plant or two. We can relate to the feeling of using our nose like sidewalk chalk. Ive done it twice.

The first story occurred back in Brazil while on my mission. It was the last day in the country before boarding a flight to come home. It had been raining for most of the morning, which wasn’t a huge surprise, but the rain had left huge puddles in the road.

My whole district, a group of about 12 guys, had met up at the office and were on our way to the president’s house a few blocks away for a big celebration lunch. It was going to be awesome. We were all super pumped about seeing each other again after the 2 years in Brazil, and we were going to go have some seriously awesome food at the presidents house.

This is where the drama unfolds. The aforementioned puddles in the road? Yes, these turned out to be a huge obstacle in our 3 block walk because the sidewalk was right along the road, and the Brazilian bus drivers show no mercy. As a side note, Brazilian bus drivers think that using the clutch to shift while driving  is an unnecessary act, that only slows them down. So, seeing a pack of Mormon missionaries walking clumped together about 18 inches away from a 14 foot puddle in the road was certainly no reason to slow down. Can you see where this is going?

So, Imagine all 12 of us walking along this wet, 5 foot wide sidewalk, rubber shoes, 14 foot puddles, speeding busses, and of course, the star of the show, a metal guardrail post.

When it all went down, I happened to be walking right next to one of my favorite elders, who looked and acted a lot like Chris Farley. We were just coming up on a massive puddle, and we saw a speeding bus screaming around the corner towards us, I think upon seeing us, the bus driver  may have actually sped up, and likely swerved a little closer to the sidewalk in order to completely shower every one of us in our white shirts.

Me, being the ever vigilant and aware guy that I was, saw this coming and peeled out in my modified sketcher shoes, who’s soles had been replaced with actual tire rubber. I was first out of the blocks, and was on pace to make it to the other side of the puddle before the shower of dingy, oily, grimy, stinky water could ruin my day.

Then, Elder Chris Farley (not his real name) happened. He was rotund, and not especially sound in his sprinting technique. His arms and legs were flailing well outside of his designated lane. His poor technique mixed with a rather narrow sidewalk, wet ground, and 10 other scrambling Elders was a perfect storm for what happened next.

After about 5 or 6 full speed strides, his right leg, and rather large foot reached out and grabbed my entire left leg and stopped my perfect sprinting form in its tracks. I went down. Not only did I go down, but I went down hard, I was in full stride, running like my life depended on it. My leg had been taken out by Chris Farley.  Time slowed down, as I saw what was coming. I reverted back to instinct. All my years of baseball had prepared me for this one moment. I had just enough time to raise my arms and perform a perfectly executed Pete Rose dive and slid along the wet cement as fluidly as if it were a slip-n-slide. It was a thing of beauty…..until the guardrail.

About 7 feet later, I met the guardrail….with my face. My hands were doing their best to keep my face from becoming part of the sidewalk, so I was helpless. All I could do was close my eyes. I hit with the force of a rhino.  Im sure kids in Texas came running for supper after the sound of that dinner bell as my cranium nailed that post. It was epic. I then spent the rest of the afternoon bleeding, and cleaning small bits of gravel out of my hands. My suit was ripped, I tore my shirt to bits. It was awesome. It was the very epitome of a graceful Face plant.

Here is photographic evidence.

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The second story comes a few years later, while we were living in California during school. My son had just received one of those Razor scooters for christmas, and I was showing him how awesome they were. He was about 4 years old.

I was obviously dressed appropriately for action sports in my shorts, and flip flops. Nothing could go wrong right?  Well, I was due for another wipeout.

This one was also not my fault. As I was showing him how to ride out on the asphalt parking lot, a little pebble, probably put there on purpose by someone who was jealous of my Razor skills, nearly ended my life.  That little pebble, against the small scooter wheel, won. The scooter stopped immediately. I, however did not.

Fortunately, there was my wife to witness what happened next, or no one would believe me. I flew over the handlebars, leaving my flip flops behind, and turned full ninja in midair. I tucked my head and shoulder, curled into a human ball of momentum, hit the ground like a cat ball, rolled forward twice, and popped out of my curl back upright, as if it were planned that way. I looked like an olympic champion after a death-defying floor routine on asphalt.  I brushed the dirt off my shoulders, and looked at my wife, and said, “Yep, that just happened.”

The look in her eye said it all. I was her hero, for a few minutes at least. I had survived a possible subdural hematoma and 8 weeks in the hospital eating through a straw, all because of a pebble the size of pea. Don’t try that at home kids.

So, what do these face plants have to do with anything?

We all face plant in one way or another in our life. No one gets through without one.  We have to know, and expect that we will bite the dust at some point in our lives.  Its part of our learning experience here on earth.

We have to expect that there may be big scary things in our lives that get in the way of where we want to go, and who we want to be. These tend to be somewhat easy to avoid, or at least easy to see coming, They may be drug use, crime, or being unfaithful to a spouse.  These obvious things are like the speeding bus.  Sometimes, though, even as we avoid the speeding bus, we get tripped up. And sometimes, its even because of someone we like and enjoy being around. We cant avoid it all, and we aren’t meant to. The important thing is getting up.

If we can change our attitude to the point of expecting, and being prepared for our falls, we can be a lot more graceful in our face plants.  Sometimes something really small, and seemingly insignificant can take us down, or at least try to. These small things can be like forgetting to pray, or read our scriptures, treating someone unkindly, or forgetting to pay an honest tithe. These can be like the pebble under the wheel. It only takes a small one to trip us up.

But, if we are prepared to fall, and understand that it is part of life to do so, it helps us pop up so much quicker, and more gracefully.  It is still a fall, but it happens to everyone, and we all will fall again and again. We just need to better develop our ability to tuck our head and shoulder, and roll with it, and pop back up as soon as we can..

Many of the Lord’s best Prophets had their versions of a face plant. Aaron and his brethren, in the Book of Mormon, were working very hard, trying to teach the Lamanites the true gospel. They had separated from Ammon at the start of their mission, and had run into some serious pebbles. Ammon had been lucky, and had some success. Aaron and his bros? not so much. They were thrown in jail.  Eventually, Ammon and Lamoni came and rescued them from their trial.  In Alma 20 verse 29 it describes them after their unfortunate face plant like this, “And their skins were worn exceedingly because of being bound with strong cords….Nevertheless they were patient in all their sufferings.”

We can learn a lot from our own mistakes and falls, sometimes its the best way.  Let’s take the bad times along with the good, and learn to be more like Aaron and his brothers, and be patient in all of our sufferings, so that eventually we will become who we are meant to be.

Be a Man!

29 Monday Jun 2015

Posted by in Fatherhood, Poems

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Artwork by Joseph F. Brickey, words by Colby Alexander

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be Jason Bourne? No? Well, I have.  What would it be like to be on one of his against all odds, world saving important missions, and be completely unfazed by eminent danger? To hobble wounded through the streets, and face the constant threat of death at every turn? To fight off rival assassins with a ballpoint pen, and a toaster? I’ve wondered what I would act like if I were in that same scenario. Would I rise to the occasion, keep my whits about me, bear down, and miraculously get the job done?  Or, would I pee my pants, grab my blanky, and hide in the nearest corner and suck my thumb? Would I actually be a man, stand up, and try and fight for what I believed in? Hopefully.

The thing is, Jason Bourne, however awesome, is unfortunately a made up fictional character. He really didn’t beat up the entire French interpol office with a pencil and a rolled up magazine. He didn’t actually escape in an amazing car chase while driving backwards in a mini cooper all through the alleyways and streets of Paris. That didn’t really happen. (Although it was totally awesome)

Does that mean that in real life, something equally as awesome cant’t happen?

Nope.

There are tons of heroic and amazing Jason Bourne type stories that are actually true. As in, they actually happened.  We have plenty of manly men to look to that show us how to be brave, courageous, loving, strong, and honorable in times that seem bleak and hopeless.

Here’s an example….

We all remember the 2000 stripling warriors of Helaman right? Of course we do. They are famous for being true and faithful to what their mothers had taught them. We learn a little bit about them in Alma chapter 53, verses 20 and 21 explain, “And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him.” And later in Chapte 56, verses 47 and 48, “Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.”

These guys were heroes, and they were the way they were in large part because of their mothers, who had taught them and helped them to become Men. Their mothers get HUGE props for that.

But, have you ever wondered about the fathers of these 2000 warriors? Where were they? They aren’t mentioned in those chapters. If their mothers were completely amazing, did their fathers teach them as well?

I think we may have to go backwards to find out…

The Book of Mormon puts chapter 53 of Alma in about the year 63 or 64 B.C. This is the year that Helaman takes the 2000 boys, and arms them for battle.  They are described as young. Just for fun, lets assume they were about 17 or 18, maybe a bit older.

Now, lets hit the rewind button on our ancient Jason Bourne movie.  Lets rewind to Chapter 24 of Alma. The heading puts this chapter somewhere between 90-77 B.C. That means, we now went back in time anywhere from 13 years prior to about 26 or 27 years.

So, what was happening at that time?  This was the year that the righteous Lamanites buried their weapons and promised and made their famous covenant they would never fight again.  They became the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi. These fully converted Lamanite men and women, were those who in those next few years, would teach the future stripling warriors.

In Verse 19 it says, “And thus we see that, when these Lamanites were brought to believe and to know the truth, they were firm, and would suffer even unto death rather than commit sin; and thus we see that they buried their weapons of peace, or they buried the weapons of war, for peace.”

These faithful Lamanites would eventually be those who would instill commitment, honor, and faith on those stripling warriors. They taught this in the most meaningful, and permanent way- by example.

At that time, the future stripling warriors  may have been just born, or maybe were quite young. But, their mothers would have been there. And, Im willing to bet, that the ones that were among the most vocal in this covenant with the Lord were those boys fathers.

What an example to their young boys they must have been. They had been converted, fully.  They showed their sons how to act, how to take action to show faith, and be a man, how to be brave, honorable, and ultimately, how to trust in God. Maybe, the only memories these future warriors had of their actual fathers, were those humbling and honorable moments of their ultimate sacrifice.

So what happened to them? The wicked Lamanites happened to them. Alma chapter 24 verses 21 and 22 explain, “Now when the [Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s] saw that [the Lamanites] were coming against them they went out to meet them, and prostrated themselves before them to the earth, and began to call on the name of the Lord; and thus they were in this attitude when the Lamanites began to fall upon them, and began to slay them with the sword. And thus without meeting any resistance, they did slay a thousand and five of them; and we know that they are blessed, for they have gone to dwell with their God.”

Those men, went out to meet their attackers, knowing they would die.  They put honor and commitment first, they led by example, showing perfect faith in their God.  These were the examples set for those young boys who may have physically witnessed this sacrifice.  Is it any wonder they were so strong and faithful themselves? They had either personally watched, or learned about this sacred event from their mothers. That was their heritage.

Today, there aren’t massive Lamanite armies a few miles away from our houses bound and determined to kill us simply because of our beliefs.  We aren’t constantly living with threats to our lives because of merely who we are…..or are we?

Are we, as the men of today,  living our lives with the same amount of commitment to our faith as those men of Anti-Nephi-Lehi?  Increasingly our faith will be challenged. Every facet of our religion will come under scrutiny, and we will either have to stand up and defend it, or cower, and shy away. We show our strength, honor, and commitment by living and showing, not by saying and telling. Do we remain strong, honorable, and faithful in the face of evil and wickedness? Our posterity will learn from us whichever way we choose.

If we want our sons (and daughters) to be like those stripling warriors, then we need to act like their fathers (and mothers) did- and show them how to live, and even die for what we believe.

Elder Marion D Hanks explains the same thing in the April 1974 general conference….