Listen, Prepare, and Live

01 Tuesday Dec 2020

Posted by Colby Alexander in General, General Conference, Jesus Christ, Obedience, Preparation, Prophets

“Being a good listener” is not a trait we are born with. We have to actively think about it, and be aware of our tendencies to passively dismiss what we are hearing. It demands practice, and and active desire to develop this lifesaving trait.

Several years ago, there was a funny Youtube video that went viral. It was a clip of a little 3-year-old boy arguing with his mother. Apparently, in his understandable overexcitement to pursue the immediate, instant, and pure gratification that would undoubtedly come via grandma’s cupcakes, he ran into a Momma roadblock. He then tried to convince momma that there should be no roadblock to confectionary bliss.

Like most three year olds, he selectively un-heard (an actual inherited genetic trait common in males) his mother’s directions to not eat, or go after said cupcakes.

When caught, he spun an impressively articulated tale, well-steeped in lawyerly gobbledygook, lasting almost three minutes in a hopeless attempt to justify, argue, spin, deflect, and rewrite history. This was his attempt to prove to his mother that he, 3-year-old Matteo, somehow was right, and that he didn’t really have to listen.

Again, actively listening is not a trait we are born with, but one we have to develop.

One of my new favorite examples in the scriptures that perfectly illustrates what it means to really listen, and how our lives may depend on it, is in the new testament. This story is also one of the last discourses that the Savior would deliver before his crucifixion.

On this particular day, the Lord was with his disciples and they were all climbing the Mount of Olives that rises directly across from, and in perfect view of the majesty of the Temple Mount. King Herod’s imposing temple crowned that sacred space and stood magnificently above the city.

The disciples, looking back at this impressive view, commented on the beauty and grandeur of the city, its buildings, and its massive temple centerpiece.

“Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!” (Mark 13:1)

View of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.

This comment spurred the following prophecy from the Savior…

“Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” (Mark 13:2)

It is probably safe to say that this was not the comment that the disciples were expecting. There may have even been a few blank stares. After all, the temple had recently completed a 46 year rebuilding effort initiated by King Herod. It was adorned with special white stone that gleamed brightly in the ample sun. It was crested and decorated with gold donated from Jews throughout the land, and symbolized the wealth, power, and strength of the Jews.

The disciples then posed the obvious follow up question to Jesus…

“Tell us when shall these things be which thou hast said concerning the destruction of the temple, and the Jews;

Jesus’ recorded answers to this and other questions are now known as the Olivet discourse. We read it, or portions of it, in Mathew 24 (improved in clarity in JST-Mathew), Mark 13, Luke 21, and even more recently referred to by the Lord in Doctrine and Covenants section 45.

Today, mostly because we have the benefit of hindsight and recorded history, I’d like to focus on the answer to this first question, and what lessons we can glean from it, specifically about developing our listening skills.

His answer to “when shall these things be?” was simple..

“And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. (Luke 21:20)

And they [the Jews] shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24)

Mathew described Jesus’ answer a bit differently noting Jesus’ reference to an even earlier prophecy…

“When you, therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, then you shall stand in the holy place…

Then let them who are in Judea flee into the mountains;

Let him who is on the housetop flee, and not return to take anything out of his house; Neither let him who is in the field return back to take his clothes;” (JST Mathew 1:12-15)

The Lord stated as plain as could be, what would happen to Jerusalem, and her people. AND, even more importantly what to do, and when to do it, to stay safe- When the armies come, head for the hills, and don’t look back.

I imagine that word spread. I’m sure in the A.D. 33 version of the Ensign, or LDSnewsroom, twitter, Instagram and Youtube, that the specifics of the prophecy spoken by the living Prophet, were taught, discussed, and written down.

So how did this prophecy play out? Was anyone listening? Did the early Saints heed the warnings of the prophet and prepare? Or did they argue like little Matteo that the cupcakes really weren’t off limits?

If we fast forward to a few years after Jesus’ crucifixion, the tension between the occupying Romans, and the citizens of Judea increased. Citizen rebels tried to fight back, and attacked two Romans fortresses. The Romans responded forcefully and released their soldiers on those in Caesarea and killed about 20,000 jewish citizens. It then quickly escalated into a full blown war.

After an abandoned earlier attempt at a siege of Jerusalem with a single legion, Flavius Vespasian and his son Titus returned the next spring with and entire army of 60,000 Roman soldiers. They took two and a half years methodically destroying their way back towards Jerusalem.

Once there, Titus surrounded the city and commenced another three-year siege of Jerusalem. It was horrible. Rampant starvation, death, and disease filled the streets. Dead bodies were left to fester piled upon each other in buildings, the smell of death and rot was unbreathable. No one within the city could escape. Those who tried were crucified outside the city walls for all to see.

The destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70AD — a painting by David Roberts (1796-1849).

On sept 26 AD 70 Titus breached the walls of Jerusalem destroying everything and everyone. Men, women, and children were slaughtered. Josephus, an historian, recorded that 1.1 million jews, or 90% of the population, were killed. The remaining 10% were sold into slavery.

Titus then ordered that everything on the temple mount be completely leveled, so the jews would not be compelled to try and reclaim their holy place.

Thirty seven years after Jesus’ prophecy, it had all been fulfilled.

So, again the question is, did anyone make it out alive? Were any members of the primitive church able to escape and “flee into the mountains” as the prophecy dictated? Was anyone prepared? Had any group of members been watching, listening, and recognizing the signs, in order to act on the words of the prophets?

In AD 325 the early Christian historian Eusebius wrote

“The members of the Jerusalem church by means of an oracle [something spoken through revelation or inspiration] given by revelation to acceptable persons there, were ordered to leave the city before the war began and settle in a town in peraea called pella” [Eusebius, Book III, 5:4]

A hundred years later, another historian recorded:

[There was an] exodus from Jerusalem when all the disciples went to live in Pella because Christ had told them to leave Jerusalem and to go away since it would undergo a siege. Because of their advice they lived in Perea … (Epiphanius, Panarion, 29, 7, 7-8)

There was indeed a happy ending for those who had truly listened, followed through, and acted on the warnings of the Lord and his prophets.

As we contemplate the importance of becoming better listeners, let’s examine just the first 16 verses of the 45th section of the Doctrine and Covenants.

Remember, this is the same section in which the Lord references this very same prophetic moment from the Mount of Olives he shared with his disciples 1800 years before…

“Hearken, O ye people of my church, to whom the kingdom has been given; hearken ye and give ear to him who laid the foundation of the earth…

And again I say, hearken unto my voice, lest death shall overtake you;…

Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father…

Hearken, O ye people of my church, and ye elders listen together, and hear my voice while it is called today and harden not your hearts;…

Wherefore, hearken ye together and let me show unto you even my wisdom—…

Wherefore, hearken and I will reason with you, and I will speak unto you and prophesy, as unto men in days of old.

And I will show it plainly as I showed it unto my disciples as I stood before them in the flesh… (Doctrine and Covenants 45:1-16)

Even those of us who suffer with the genetic impairment of selective hearing can pick up on those hints. I think we are being invited to listen. Remembering also, that…

“…whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” (Doctrine and Covenants 1:38)

We need to be much better at listening to the Lord, his words, the words of his servants, and his Spirit. Through his prophets, the Lord will tell us what to do, where to be, how to be, and when to be there so that we can be safe.

Prophets instruct us, teach us, and inspire us to be prepared. This is the necessary action that is almost always associated with listening to prophetic warnings.

Our preparation, however, is not just stuffing away a year’s supply of whole wheat buckets, canned beets, powdered milk, and 50 pound sacks of beans. It is also referencing the necessary spiritual preparation.

Being spiritually prepared enables us to have the courage to “… not return to take anything out of [our] house;” as we, “flee into the mountains” (JST Mathew 1:12-15).

I imagine that if the Prophet made a special YouTube video asking us to drop everything we were doing, and head to Missouri for an emergency general conference with some “special guests”, most of us would head out immediately.

But, what if that same prophet said it was time to work on our daily scripture study? What if that same prophet asked us to be better at prayer, being thankful, or developing a better testimony? What if he asked us to be more spiritually self-reliant, teach the gospel to our families in our own homes, be better ministers, and to develop an increased capability to “hear him”? Would we be just as willing and committed to do those things?

These are the true tests of our listening skills. These are our opportunities to really prepare, and thus eliminate the fear of the unknown from our lives. Especially when we know there are “bumpy” times ahead.

Catie has often told our kids, from the time they were little that, “…If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:30) and she is exactly right.

We may not have physical armies compassed about and threatening us, but we most certainly have the desolation of abomination that is gathering outside ourselves, our homes, and our communities. It is everywhere. It’s in our media, language, merchandise, fashion, and often taught in our schools. Increasing political unrest dominates the news cycle, along with a constant drumbeat of societal pressures to accept sinful behavior as normal. Economic strains, along with increasing health concerns from a world wide pandemic are prevalent throughout the whole world. Cumulative stresses brought about by all these things together may indeed make us feel like we are being compassed about by threatening armies.

We may not currently face impending physical threats posed by the invading armies of Titus, but, does it not feel like our families are under threat of a growing spiritual siege?

Just as the prophetic warnings from Jesus given way back in AD 33 prompted earlier saints, we can also “flee into the mountains” today. We simply need to listen to our Prophet and find safety in not only listening, but acting on his words. Once we divert our focus away from the chaos, instability and stress that flourish out in the world, and focus on the peaceful simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ with those around us that share our hope and faith, we feel different. But, this peace can only come through listening to, and living within the safety of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Let us all forget the worldly cupcakes and their fools gold promise of instant satiety, and improve our capacity to listen, to hear, and act. When we do so, we will enjoy the eternal fruits, and living water that come through living the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Notes:

If we look a bit more closely at the many topics in the last general conference, we can start to see themes. These are our prophets today, are we really listening to them? Are we actively trying to follow their direction and council? Are we listening with a purpose to change ourselves, our habits, and our character?

Elder Bednar: “Now is the time to prepare and prove ourselves willing and able to do all things whatsoever the Lord our God shall command us.”

Bishop Wadell said: “…in an ever-changing world, we must prepare for uncertainties. Even with better days ahead, we know that the temporal peaks and valleys of mortality will continue. As we seek to become temporally prepared, we can face the trials of life with increased confidence, peace in our hearts, and like Joseph in Egypt, we will be able to say, even in stressful circumstances, “There was bread.”

Elder Uchtdorf: “As a fighter pilot and airline captain, I learned that while I could not choose the adversity I would encounter during a flight, I could choose how I prepared and how I reacted”

President Nelson: “How are we to deal with both the somber prophecies and the glorious pronouncements about our day? The Lord told us how with simple, but stunning, reassurance: “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.”

The Fierceness of the Wind

24 Tuesday Nov 2020

Posted by Tyson Alexander in General, Journeys, Preparation, Strength, Success, Trials

≈ 2 Comments

Quite a while ago, I wrote about how some of the travel stories in the Book of Mormon have common themes and are great examples of trials, tribulations, and struggles during a trip, including the idea that a journey might not just be defined as the time period elapsed or distance traveled between point A and point B. Recently in re-reading the Jaredite journey, I liked a particular phrase (and theme) that could be related to the pre-journey and preparations that set the stage for the journey more than the actual journey (even though I love the journey on it’s own). I know that many times this Jaredite journey has been ‘likened’ unto our mortal journeys, but what about the preparation, instruction, and stage-setting that took place prior to the actual journey?

This story starts out in Genesis 11:4-9 where the people become ‘confounded’. Their language or ability to communicate with each other was disrupted to the point that they couldn’t ‘understand one another’s speech’. Soon after this confusion, the people become ‘scattered abroad upon all the face of the earth’. The notable exception to this mass confusion is the brother of Jared, his family, and a few of their friends. Ether 1:33-37 tells us that the brother of Jared ‘cried’ unto the Lord for the continued ability to ‘understand’ his brother (Jared), and then cried unto the Lord a second time to expand this restored understanding to their family and friends, and that ‘the Lord had compassion upon them, that they were not confounded’. Now, with the language confounded (mostly), and the people being scattered abroad upon all the earth, there is little doubt that these guys (the Jaredites) knew that the Lord was ‘in his anger’ – and in a very humble way the brother of Jared asked the Lord (in verses 38-39) for some additional guidance. He asked the question ‘whither shall we go’? He did not ask if they had to go, or if they could stay where they were – he asked ‘whither’.

The response from the Lord in verses 41-42 is one that sets the tone for this blog post, and is the hallmark of a pre-journey stage setting. He says: ‘Go [get all your stuff and your families], and meet me in the valley which is northward. And there will I meet thee, and I will go before thee into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth. Yes. Sign me up for that journey. I can’t imagine it was very hard to follow that advice – even in these circumstances.

So, let’s set this stage for ourselves at the same time as the Jaredites. I can imagine that the mass of people in the pre-existence experienced some level of ‘confusion’ (potentially being ‘confounded’) when Lucifer introduced his plan, campaigned for our support of his plan, and even starting gaining a significant following who thought his plan was a good one, and the assurances of being ‘saved’. There was essentially the introduction of a ‘new’ or ‘alternative’ means of communication. In addition, let’s not discount that fact that the Lord had instructed each of us that we would all (by necessity) be ‘scattered abroad upon all the earth’ – which meant we had to leave the place of our residence. This left all of us with at least the choice of which voice (communication) to follow and seek to understand. After the differing plans were presented and the confusion set in, we hopefully followed the example of the brother of Jared and ‘cried’ unto the Lord and asked him to lessen the effect of the ‘confusion’ that was present (which is code for ‘please allow me and my family to keep ‘understanding’ the right voices). Then, I like to think of us (our loved ones, families, etc.) counseling with one another being thankful that we could understand each other, expecting and hoping that even though the Lord will be sending us out on a journey, that He would ‘carry us forth into a land which is choice above all the earth’ and letting that hope guide us to humbly approach the Lord and asking the same question that the brother of Jared did; ‘Lord, whither shall we go’?

Next, let’s imagine the Lord’s response to the brother of Jared as our response: ‘Go to and gather together [your flocks] and go down into the land which is northward. And there will I meet thee, and I will go before thee into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth. Our flocks in the pre-existence could likely represent our knowledge, understanding, talents, characteristics, growth, motivation, testimony, etc. that we were blessed with or developed during our time there. He essentially gave us the opportunity to ‘gather’ it all together, mentally prepare ourselves, and meet him ‘in the land which is northward’¹ for our next step in the preparation stage. Notice that there is no timeline or due date for this ‘gathering’. The process of ‘gathering’ our stuff in the pre-existence could be hundreds or thousands of years.

Ether 2:1-7 next explains the various preparations that the Jaredite party completed; they gathered flocks, fowls, vessels, honeybees, fish, and all manner of seeds. Please note that they went on a mini-journey (to the land northward) as preparation for and part of the ‘gathering’ for the real journey to the promised land that was in the future. Then the Lord guided and directed them, and ‘gave directions whither they should travel’ along the way (another journey). In addition, they did ‘build barges, in which they did cross many waters’. Let’s pause and ask ourselves if during this preparation stage the lord was helping them learn and grow and experience things that would help them later on? (Hint: building barges to cross many waters during their pre-journey might be a helpful thing to learn because the Lord knows that He will soon ask the brother of Jared to build ‘barges’ ‘to cross that great sea which divideth the lands’ – which is their big journey). The fascinating phrase during this preparation/gathering/mini-journey activity is that the Jaredites were ‘being directed continually by the hand of the Lord’. After their mini-journey, the Jaredites take a little break (potentially thinking they had arrived at the promised land) – only to realize that the Lord was just wrapping up the ‘preparation’ or ‘pre-journey’ phase.

This little break earns the brother of Jared a 3-hour chastisement, which prompts him to quickly repents and is then told to ‘go to work’ (Ether 2:14-16). Notice how the ‘work’ that the brother of Jared is told to do, is remarkably similar to the ‘work’ that they had already done (during the preparation journey). They are asked to build barges ‘after the manner which they had [already] built’. I wonder if the Jaredites were grateful for the knowledge and experience they had gained during their pre-journey when they were asked to cross the great sea…probably.

When we liken ourselves and our pre-mortal journeys to the Jaredites, we can see some themes that help us understand that the journey we took during our ‘gathering’ and ‘preparing’ in the pre-existence and those growing experiences we no doubt had which took us to ‘the land northward’ for our next meeting with the Lord are very real mini-journeys that were preparing us and giving us experiences that will likely be drawn out of us during our ‘real’ journeys (if and when they come) during the pre-existence and certainly here on earth.

III

The next step in the Jaredite journey occurs when most of the requisite preparations have been completed, and the brother of Jared is putting the finishing touches on a few things before they cross the great sea. I see this last little series of exchanges as a final closeout meeting in order to make sure everything is in tip-top shape before they actually ‘set forth’. In verses 18-20 (still in Ether Chapter 2) the brother of Jared says; “I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges”… But, then he explains that he sees 2 potential problems: 1) There is no light, and 2) we can’t really breathe in these barges. The lord handles problem number 2 by instructing him to make a hole in the top and the bottom, but leaves problem 1 apparently unsolved.

The brother of Jared makes the holes as instructed, and then comes again to the Lord regarding his first problem (light) – and asks the Lord ‘wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness’? I don’t know what the Jaredites had used for light in their previous barges, but it seems to me that the Lord was using this situation as a teaching opportunity for the brother of Jared to work some things out on his own – essentially study it out in his mind and come up with a solution – because He doesn’t answer the question directly, but does give some basic guidelines; they couldn’t have windows (they’d break), and couldn’t have fire (burning boat in the middle of the tempest tossed ocean could be bad news). Then, in addition, he gave some context for the brother of Jared to consider (while he is coming up with a proposed lighting solution) that he (the barges) will be a ‘whale in the midst of the sea’, and that the ‘mountain waves shall dash upon you’, and that he will be ‘in the depths of the sea’ due to the winds, the rains, and the floods that He will send forth.

At this point – the Lord says something totally amazing – “behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds… and the floods” – essentially letting the brother of Jared know (or remember) that the previous years of instruction, focused ‘gathering’ and the mini-journeys have all been ‘preparation’ against the trials that have been laid out, and that are sure to come in the ‘real’ journey. The reason that is important is because that he literally could not cross the ‘real’ journey save he was prepared. Amazing. Yet, not as amazing as the next question he asks – ‘therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea’? I have prepared you for all these things – but, what is it that you need, or what else would you like as ‘preparation’ for this great journey – when (a key word), when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea. He doesn’t ask what he needs for light when it’s sunny and calm, The Lord asks what he needs for light ‘when [he is] swallowed up in the depths of the sea’. When we think of these things being ‘prepared’ for the journey (these things being the winds, the floods, the rains, and the mountain waves) and realize that they are a necessary part of the journey – He doesn’t ask the brother of Jared what he needs to avoid them, He asks what he needs ‘when he is swallowed by them’.

Let’s take a break and put ourselves back into our pre-mortal Jaradite ‘type(s)’. We complete the work that the Lord has asked us to do in the pre-existence. We have finished the majority of our requirements, we have ‘gathered’ our flocks and our other things, we have mentally prepared (and we even traveled to ‘the land which is northward’ to meet up with the Lord and receive a few more instructions along the way). Then, we worked through a mini-journey to get to the seashore and are asked to ‘build a barge to cross the great sea’, which we do. After all these preparations, we feel like we are nearly ready, but there are a couple of nagging questions that have been lingering in our minds that we’d like answered before we take the plunge into ‘the depths of the sea’ (mortality). So, we humbly ask the lord for a little more clarification on a couple of things. Our concerns could have been based on the makeup or functions of our physical bodies (pain, weakness, illness, disease and death) or they could have been based on situations or even family relationships (stress, emotional turmoil, etc.), they could have been based on the functionality of the veil that we would pass through, – or they could have been based on areas that the Lord seems to have been quietly waiting for us to work out on our own – but his guidance to us would be the same. He would help us to re-remember that “behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds….and the floods”. He says to us; ‘I prepared you [yes, just you] against everything that you will see down there. There is no way you could make it without everything I’ve taught you here. But, since you’re concerned about it, ‘what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea’? In addition to all that I’ve prepared you for (and against) in mortality, what more do you need/want to give you light when ye get completely buried by it all? Such an amazing question!

This question (what else do you need?) spurred the brother of Jared to go to work. No doubt he laid out a plan, thought about his options, worked through the pros and cons of each idea, and finally settled on a plan that would give light to the barges. He likely talked it over with his family based on their previous building of barges. They learned from their experience, previous experience from others and the scriptures and he went to work on a solution. In Ether 3:1 we learn that the brother of Jared ‘went forth unto the mount, (which is exceedingly high) and did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones’. With this passage we learn some things that the brother of Jared did not do. He did not wander to the nearest rock pile from his tent/house and grab 16 stones. He did not walk to the river and select a few clean rocks. He did not even just go chip out a few clear rocks from a larger clear rock. What he did do was ‘go forth unto an exceedingly high mount, and molten out of a rock sixteen small stones; and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass’. Molten (the verb) is the past participle of melt, but when used as an adjective means liquefied by heat; in a state of fusion or produced by melting and casting.² This means that it wasn’t very easy for the brother of Jared to make these sixteen stones and they most certainly were not something that he found on the ground. He created them with a singular purpose in mind.

Once he had diligently created and developed his sixteen stones, ‘he did carry them in his hands upon the top of the mount’, presenting his proposed solution to the Lord. He asks the Lord to ‘not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness’, – and acknowledging what may appear to the Lord as a completely weak and rudimentary solution – to ‘look upon me in pity’ and ‘suffer not that they shall go forth across this raging deep in darkness’. So humble and so powerful – but he’s not done. He says; ‘behold these things (he doesn’t even dare call them anything other than ‘things’) which I have molten out of the rock’…therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us… that we may have light while we shall cross the sea’. Then, as the story unfolds, we realize that this humility and this faith that the brother of Jared demonstrated (remember, we are still in the preparation and pre-journey stage) is the catalyst for maybe the most amazing vision and experience ever. They are so great in fact, that we can’t even read them because they would overpower us [and they’ve been sealed] (see Ether 12:24 and Ether 4:4-5). The Lord touches the stones – or as it’s referred to in both Ether 3:4 and Ether 6:2 the Lord ‘prepared’ the stones – ‘and they did give light unto the vessels’ – because ‘the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness’. Now, after each phase of his preparation (‘after they had done all these things’) the Jaredites ‘got aboard of their vessels or barges, and set forth into the sea. He was finally ready to start his journey.

If we transplant ourselves back in time to when we had been asked by the Lord (what else we needed to give us light when we were to be swallowed), and think about the process that the brother of Jared went through before he approached the Lord with a potential solution, it can open up some interesting possibilities in our characters, our personalities, our interests, and maybe most importantly, our talents. If we each took that pre-mortal time individually to reflect on the question (what is it that you want for light during the dark days of your journey) internally answering the question. We – just like the brother of Jared – likely counseled with loved ones, reflected on past mini-journeys or preparations, looked at the pros and cons of various different possibilities, and then ultimately, we selected an option that we felt was the best solution. Hopefully each of us came up with these solutions after much prayer, meditation, and work, and didn’t just pick up some rocks that were in the nearby field. Then, if we imagine the term ‘molten stones out of rock’ to be synonymous with ‘developed talents, or abilities, or skills, or compassions, or character traits’ that would allow for ‘light’ to shine in times of greatest darkness, then we can see how amazing of a parallel this really is. As we (young and struggling premortal spirits) worked so hard to develop a solution for a journey that we barely understood, the natural results of that hard work would have made us feel incredibly humble as we approached the perfection of the Lord and asked Him to ‘not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness’ and to ‘look upon us with pity’ while we feebly explained to a perfect spirit how or why we felt this meek and lowly talent could help us when we are ‘swallowed in the depths of the sea’. Yet, we continued and asked the Lord to ‘prepare our stones, that they may shine forth in darkness… that we may have light while we cross the sea’. Our stones are the individual talents, abilities, gifts, and natures that we spent time developing in the pre-existence molting out of rock – and as the Lord had compassion on us – he ‘prepared’ them and caused them to shine in darkness for our journey through mortality. Even though it was the brother of Jared who created the stones, and brought them to the Lord, and even though the talents or gifts were developed by us through much hard work (in the pre-existence and here) it was and is the Lord who causes them to shine. We bring our gifts and our talents to the Lord, and he gives them light. Then we, like the brother of Jared, hopefully use that humility and that blessing from the Lord as a catalyst of spiritual power and faith to sustain us through the long journey ahead. Then, and only then were we ready to ‘get aboard our vessels and set forth into the sea’.

Once the Jaredites were sufficiently prepared, boarded, and actually in the water, ‘the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus were they tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind… they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind… the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land… and thus they were driven forth before the wind’ (Ether 6:5-8). If I imagine a voyage across the sea (cruise, sailing, etc.) I don’t want to see the following words; furious wind, tossed upon the waves, buried in the depths, mountain waves, great and terrible tempests, fierceness of the wind, and wind did never cease. Yet, somehow the Lords words ‘I prepare against these things’ may have echoed just enough in the Jaredites ears that they understood the reasons, plus the fact that these winds ‘did never cease to blow towards the promised land’. It may have helped them realize that the mountain waves that were burying them in the depths of the sea, were somehow getting them closer to their destination. And, there is little doubt that those bright white stones prepared by the Lord offered comfort, peace, and light during the most troubling of times, and also provided them a constant reminder of the hard work, faith, humility, and presence of a savior and guide who would never leave them alone.

Once we as pre-mortal spirits were sufficiently prepared, were able to have our final pre-mortal pep talks and interviews and had both feet in the water of mortality, ‘the Lord God causes that there to be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus are we tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind… we are many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which break upon us, and also the great and terrible tempests which are caused by the fierceness of the wind… the wind will never cease to blow towards the promised land… and thus are we driven forth before the wind’. It helps us to know that the great and terrible tempests, the mountain waves, and the repeated burying in the depths of the sea, are all due to the fierceness of the wind.

The fierceness of this wind is in direct proportion to the fierceness of His love – since that furious wind is eagerly blowing each of us towards the promised land. In times of trouble, when we are swallowed up, and when it seems as if there is no way out of the darkness – let us recall the gifts, talents, and small stones that we have molten out of rock that were touched and prepared by the Lord to give us and others traveling with us light specifically for those times – when we are seemingly buried in the darkness and remember, that being buried in the depths was always part of the plan.

Notes

1 ‘The Land which is northward’ could represent any check-in station where we evaluate or re-evaluate our direction, trajectory, or standing before the Lord. It could also represent a very real change of phase or responsibility. It’s use in this story was a launching pad or starting line for the first part of the journey. I don’t think it is strange to think of ‘the land which is northward’ being a starting line for any and all new journeys. It is also likely that ‘the land which is northward’ could reference the temple since that is where he can give us counsel and direction and help us determine our location and/or direction in our various journeys.

2 Dictionary.reference.com/browse/molten?s=t

The Ghost and the Darkness

26 Sunday Apr 2020

Posted by Colby Alexander in General, Jesus Christ, Motivation, Obedience, Preparation

≈ Leave a comment

In 1898 during the construction of a railroad in Eastern Africa, two rogue lions terrorized the construction workers that had been imported to complete the project for several months. These lions weren’t hunting for wildebeest, antelope, or any of their normal prey. They were hunting humans. The large tent camps where the workers were sleeping were prime targets largely because they were so poorly defended. These man-eating lions upended the workers lives. They worked, and slept in constant fear.

According to the records kept by the construction foreman, over 100 men were taken in just a few months. In panicked desperation, the workers hastily constructed thorn bush barriers, lit fires, slept in trees, and did whatever they could to stay safe from the two lions. The lions would come at night under the cover of darkness and were rarely seen until it was too late. Every moment of the workers lives was spent in constant worry and fear of the two rouge predators. Because of their elusive nature, these terrorizing lions became known as The Ghost, and The Darkness.

If we flash forward 122 years to 2020, we are dealing with our own modern day unseen version of a rogue lion. Albeit much smaller. The COVID-19 virus is an unseen force that is wreaking havoc all around us. We can seemingly do very little to protect ourselves from it. Normal barriers, made out of what we typically have available to us, just like the thorn bush walls, are insufficient. The only real way to stay safe is to to stay away from wherever it is, or, have the appropriate protection that is effective against this particular assailant. It has changed our way of life, effected our work, our schools, our routines, and our priorities.

For many of us, it has truly brought some darkness, confusion, and fear. This virus appears as a Ghost, and often leaves Darkness in its wake. Governments, leaders, and people all over are scrambling to find solutions to fight something so small it’s almost inconceivable.

The whole world economy has been shaken, and come to a halt by an organism 100 times smaller than a single bacterium. For being only 250 microns, it seems to have had a massively and inconceivably disproportionate effect on the market demand for one of the most imperative survival items known to man….toilet paper. Who saw that coming? You know its bad when even Costco can’t keep it in stock.

The hardest thing about fighting off a virus, or apparently, a rogue man eating lion, is that you simply cannot see it coming. You don’t know exactly where it is, you don’t know exactly how or even if you’ll run into it, or from who, or where it’s been, or where it’s going. It can be everywhere, or no where. How do you know exactly when to wear a mask, or wash your hands? When should we wear goggles, or a full on hazmat suit? How do you know exactly when to sleep in a tree, or stay awake til 4:00 am with a gun pointed at the opening in the thorn bush wall? You simply have to be ready, protected and prepared all the time. You cannot take a break.

I guess we could ask the ten virgins about all of this.

Their story in Mathew Chapter 25 tells of a wedding feast, and ten virgins were tasked with the oil lamp welcoming group for the Bridegroom. In those days, the Bridegroom would come to pick up his bride whenever he was able to care for her on his own. It was not a specifically designated time at all. The virgins would have to be ready for his arrival at any time. The parable tells of five foolish virgins that took lamps without any oil, assuming they would have time to fill them. The remaining five wise virgins kept oil in their lamps full and ready for the appearance of the awaited Bridegroom.

“Five of Them Were Wise” by Walter Rane

When the time finally came at midnight, and there was a “cry made¹” announcing that the arrival of the Bridegroom was near, the five which had not brought oil in their lamps, were now desperate. They scrambled and asked to borrow oil from those who were prepared. The wise virgins, earning their name, refused, claiming there wouldn’t be enough for all if they gave up their oil.

The Bridegroom came, and entered into the wedding feast at the very moment the foolish virgins had gone to purchase oil for their empty lamps. They missed it. When they finally arrived and knocked on the door and petitioned entrance, they were denied. The Lord, opening the door said, “Verily I say unto you, I know you not².”

Being ready and being prepared is the only thing we can do. If we wait to prepare until the Bridegroom turns the corner it will be too late. We may find ourselves on the outside of the party holding an empty lamp.

We can wait to put on protection until everyone else around us is sick, but we may develop a cough and a fever in the meantime.

We can sleep on the ground until the guy next to us is missing a limb from a middle-of-the-night lion attack, but we may suddenly and rudely be awakened by that same lion as he runs off with our left leg for his dinner.

The important thing about viruses, or bridegrooms, and maybe even lions, is that you need to be ready for them yesterday, not scrambling around the moment they appear. We need to be prepared, and ready, at all times. Even when no one else is. Sometimes, doing what is right may make us look silly and seemingly out of place in todays world, but it’s the only way to be safe.

So, what exactly are we preparing for? or preparing against?

Today, in the gospel sense, we are preparing for the return of the Bridegroom. We are preparing ourselves to be invited into the wedding feast. And we are preparing against anything that would keep us out.

In today’s world there are plenty of things that would keep us out of the wedding feast, or cause us to miss the return of our Savior. Continuous distractions, procrastination, immorality, pride, apathy and hate are just a few.

Preparing ourselves to be ready is taking all the precautions against whatever hidden lions lay outside waiting to attack in the darkness. It’s completely avoiding, or donning the most protective equipment available against a new deadly virus, or putting on the whole armor of God. It’s becoming more like the Savior and trying to keep his commandments and living by the precepts of His Gospel.

When we treat the threat of losing our spot in the Bridegroom’s wedding feast with he same urgency as we do from contracting COVID-19, or losing our limbs or lives to the Ghost and the Darkness, we are doing it right.

Medical workers in protective suits tend to coronavirus patients at the intensive care unit of a hospital in Wuhan, China.

The real eternal threat to us today isn’t two rogue lions, or even a microscopic virus that causes a terrible disease. The most devastating threat is missing our opportunity to be with the Savior when he comes again. Can we even begin to bear the thought of our Savior saying to us, “I know you not²“?

Let’s treat our preparation for that wonderful event with the urgency it deserves. Our eternal survival and happiness depend on it.

To the End Enduring

When all the worldly Lions pace, and creep, in darkness waiting,
How do we escape their bite and ravenous attacking?

How do we survive an unseen foe as it is spreading
And preventing joined humanity once felt through our connecting?

Or, how do we prepare ourselves for wedding feast approaching,
So we can enter in with Him, to live in joyous feasting?

We fill our lamps, prepare ourselves, and others who are searching,
To find the peace, that in Christ lay, because of His atoning.

Believe in Him, and follow Him, fulfill his words proclaiming
To love our God, and neighbor both, while to the end enduring.

Mathew 25:6
Mathew 25:12

Digging Ditches to Be Happy

13 Sunday Nov 2016

Posted by Colby Alexander in Battle, Book of Mormon, Brothers, General, Motivation, Patience, Preparation, Strength, Weakness

≈ 2 Comments

A few months ago, I traveled to California with my wife to watch my brother Tyson compete in an Ironman triathlon. It was pretty amazing to see him, along with everyone else, both men and women, swim, bike, and run for 8 or 10 or 12+ hours straight. It was nuts. Imagine getting up early, before the sun is anywhere near up, and wading into a dark river and swimming for about an hour- with no stopping, rest, or lifeguard. Then, instead of dying an anonymous silent death and sinking to the bottom of the murky water, you run to your bike, and hop onto the most uncomfortable bike seat ever designed, and start pedaling- for about 6 hours. Then, after crouching and straining on that bike for the same amount of time as two full length Lord of the Rings movies, and looking more like a crooked old lady with scoliosis, you get to relax by running a full marathon. Its mind boggling.

After witnessing this event, and seeing Tyson do so well. I had a familiar feeling start to swell inside me. It was a familiar feeling that had been silent, dormant, and suppressed for quite a while, but began to fester up just like a long forgotten illness. It was the re-emergence of the “I can’t let my brother beat me” syndrome that I thought I had fully recovered from. Turns out, there really is no cure. You can’t beat it, you can only hope to contain it.

Tyson, from years of competition growing up together, knew just the kind of salt to throw in that freshly opened wound as over the next few days, he “encouraged” me to throw my hat in the triathlon ring. Smarter men, like my other younger brothers Casey and Riley, would have been wise enough to see the end game, and let that “encouragement” go unacknowledged or laugh it off altogether. But, because of my newly reopened competition illness, I fell for it. Both Tyson and I suffer from rather severe strains of this disease.

I had previously enjoyed a stronghold on the long distance running record amongst my brothers with a full marathon, but even that looked pretty pathetic now. I had just been ceremoniously slapped across the cheek with the proverbial gauntlet. And he did it in such a nice way which was even worse.

So, I was done. And, soon after returning home, I signed myself up for a small triathlon, and started training. Running and biking weren’t so bad, having done endurance training before. But, here’s the difference, you can breathe when you run or bike. And I happen to be very fond of breathing. Swimming, however, presented as a whole different set of problems for me.

The first time I hit the pool, I knew it would be tough, but that was an understatement. I never realized just how far 25 meters can be until I tried to swim it. It then got worse as I then turned around, and did it again, and again, and again. It was exhausting. Its kind of like tying a plastic bag over your head, and walking on your hands up a steep hill.

After my first training session in the pool, I didn’t die, but I did I feel nauseous and lightheaded for hours afterwards. And that was only after about a whopping 200 meters with life-saving gasping-for-air breaks after each 25 meters. I was in trouble.

The next 8 weeks were brutal. I was thrown by how slow my progress was. I was used to being able to train regularly for 2-3 weeks while running, and seeing some significant improvements. With swimming, I was able to go a bit further, but it was very slow, slow, slow improvement. I felt I was improving at the pace of the sloth at the DMV in Zootopia.

Swimming was the obvious weak link on my chain. I knew that going in, but that reality soon started to hit me, hard. I started to have serious doubts, not necessarily about my ability to finish the race, but in my ability to actually survive the race. The way I saw it, if I didn’t somehow have arm floaties on, I only stood at about a 50:50 chance of surviving the swim portion. Seriously. I’m not even kidding.

Now, I don’t like to have weaknesses, let alone having very apparent ones, so this was uncharted territory in a sense. I was eating some serious humble pie, like several meals a day strict diet of humble pie. It was frustrating, but I stuck with it.

Now, after almost 12 weeks, I am proud to say that I have confidence that I will not die in 3 weeks when I go for my first little triathlon. It has been a slow go, but I can tell I have made improvements. Thank goodness, because, I don’t want to get lapped by those 87 year old grandmas because I can’t get out of the pool.

This process that I am in the middle of- this process of trying to get rid of my weakness, and possibly even turn it into a strength, is a principle that we are familiar with. Its frequently taught in the Book of Mormon. A few weeks ago, I recognized this principle all over again in a seemingly unrelated story. This time it was embedded in the way the Nephites dug ditches.

In Tyson’s last post, he mentioned that Moroni had prepared the Nephites to fight in the most unfair way possible against the Lamanites. He did it with unprecedented preparation. You can read it HERE. This process employed by Moroni has everything to do with the famous scripture from Ether. In his book, he explains why we have these weaknesses….

“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” (Ether 12:5)

Ether wasn’t necessarily talking about swimming, or even Nephites digging ditches, but the principle applies to both of these scenarios.

We learn all about Moroni’s ditches in Alma chapter 49. It explains how the Nephites rebuilt the city of Ammonihah after it had been destroyed. They rebuilt it and then some. It was obviously regarded as a weak spot for the Nephites….

“Behold, I said that the city of Ammonihah had been rebuilt. I say unto you, yea, that it was in part rebuilt; and because the Lamanites had destroyed it once because of the iniquity of the people, they supposed that it would again become an easy prey for them. But behold, how great was their disappointment; for behold, the Nephites had dug up a ridge of earth round about them, which was so high that the Lamanites could not cast their stones and their arrows at them that they might take effect, neither could they come upon them save it was by their place of entrance. Now at this time the chief captains of the Lamanites were astonished exceedingly, because of the wisdom of the Nephites in preparing their places of security.” (Alma 49:3-5)

So, the Lamanites were looking for the wimpiest spot to attack the Nephites. Remember that Ammonihah was wiped out in one day. It should have been easy pickins’ for the Lamanites. The Nephite resistance should have been like me swimming 100 meters in the pool. Weak cheese. But, the Nephites had worked hard- very hard, in fact, to prepare themselves for that moment.

The Nephites had dug a ditch, not just any ditch, but a ditch so deep, and the accompanying ridge of earth was so high, they couldn’t hit the top by throwing stones or shooting arrows. I don’t know about anyone else, but I think that is a lot of dirt. Thats a big hole, and a big bank of earth.

I picture these Nephite soldiers shoveling, hauling, digging, laboring day after day load after load after load to prepare this city. I can imagine that in the beginning, it seemed like a daunting task, kind of like me imagining myself swimming in a dark river for over 2 miles at 5:00 a.m. But they kept at it. I am absolutely positive, that when these Nephites finished moving that vast amount of dirt, and constructing this massive protective wall all around their entire city, they were stronger than when they started. How could they not be? They probably looked like a bunch of linebackers fresh from the gym.

But, it didn’t happen overnight. It didn’t happen by a lightning strike, or by the fairy Godmother coming and throwing twinkle dust the ground and turning it into a perfectly structured dirt fort. We don’t know exactly how they constructed this ditch or the bank of earth, but it wasn’t with a back hoe or diesel powered crane.

It was built bit by bit, little by little, Im sure almost imperceptible progress was made. But the process made those that were working on it strong, and the process is what transformed the city from a weak point into a stronghold. That same weak city that had been wiped out in a single day.

But, it wasn’t just one city. The Lamanites, came looking to take out Ammonihah, took one look, and said, “No thanks, peace out”, and headed instead to attack another weak spot, the city of Noah. But, Moroni was one step ahead…

“But behold, to their astonishment, the city of Noah, which had hitherto been a weak place, had now, by the means of Moroni, become strong, yea, even to exceed the strength of the city Ammonihah. (Alma 49:14)

“Now behold, the Lamanites could not get into their forts of security by any other way save by the entrance, because of the highness of the bank which had been thrown up, and the depth of the ditch which had been dug round about, save it were by the entrance.

And thus were the Nephites prepared to destroy all such as should attempt to climb up to enter the fort by any other way, by casting over stones and arrows at them.

Now when they found that they could not obtain power over the Nephites by the pass, they began to dig down their banks of earth that they might obtain a pass to their armies, that they might have an equal chance to fight; but behold, in these attempts they were swept off by the stones and arrows which were thrown at them; and instead of filling up their ditches by pulling down the banks of earth, they were filled up in a measure with their dead and wounded bodies.”

Thus the Nephites had all power over their enemies; and thus the Lamanites did attempt to destroy the Nephites until their chief captains were all slain; yea, and more than a thousand of the Lamanites were slain; while, on the other hand, there was not a single soul of the Nephites which was slain.” (Alma 49:18-23)

The Nephites had gained the advantage. They had put in the time, and had become incredibly strong. But it wasn’t by accident. It was a long, deliberate process. The cities and men had become strong by identifying and working on their weaknesses. By working, digging, scrambling, struggling, pulling, pushing, sweating, and preparing.

The Lord can, and will make our weaknesses strong, but he doesn’t just give it to us. It requires work on our end. We need to first recognize our weaknesses, and then we need to humbly commit to strengthen it by work. Then, the Lord blesses us, and aids us in our own little battles.

Moroni didn’t strengthen just the obvious weak spots, he strengthened all the cities. He didn’t take a look at Ammonihah, or Noah, and say, “Nice, our job is done.” He kept going. There is always room for improvement, or strengthening. That means, at the same time, there is always work to do. We can’t stop shoveling, or hauling, striving, or trying.

“And now it came to pass that Moroni did not stop making preparations for war…” (Alma 50:1)

The beauty of all of this hard work isn’t just in the final product. A strong fort made for our own protection isn’t the only end goal. In addition to the increased strength where once we were weak, we are also happier.

We are happy when we work, get stronger, improve, and accomplish. Yes, we then become stronger. But, we also are happier along the way. The Lord blesses us in sneaky ways sometimes. Who would have thought, that through all this time of massive preparation, digging ditches, chopping trees, and laboring night and day that the Nephites would be the happiest they had ever been?

“But behold there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than in the days of Moroni, yea, even at this time, in the twenty and first year of the reign of the judges.” (Alma 50:23)

The Nephites were happy. Happier, in fact, than ever. Even after digging seemingly endless numbers of ditches and trenches, and hauling dirt back and forth. Their strength came from the security of shoring up their places of retreat, and strengthening their weaknesses.

Sometimes our improvement doesn’t have to be pretty, or glorious, or fancy, or amazingly awesome. Sometimes we get better simply by working at our weaknesses. It may be slow, but it is always worth it.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. The Great Pyramid of Giza took 20 years to build. The Great Wall of China took thousands of years altogether to make, and the iconic temple that sits in the middle of Salt Lake City took over 40 years to finally complete.

Lets not lose sight of our goal- to be the best we can be, and live with God again. Lets look at our weaknesses only as opportunities for future strengths, and lets commit to be just as willing to work at them as the Nephites were in digging their ditches. Because, in the end, just like the Nephites, our safety and happiness is at stake.

An equal chance to fight

21 Friday Oct 2016

Posted by Tyson Alexander in Battle, General, Preparation

≈ 2 Comments

mormonad-ready-or-not-1118433-gallery

We have all heard and/or read a lot about equality lately, and the importance of making sure that everyone has an ‘equal chance’ for everything. An equal chance at education, career opportunities, to have their voice heard, and to have rights or liberties or freedoms. But I’d like to talk about a situation in which we actually want to discourage equal chances and encourage lopsidedness – and if we do it right – severe lopsidedness.

This situation happens to be an ongoing battle with the forces of evil, which ironically highlights in one sense the perfect case of equality, because forces on both sides of this battle are attempting with all their might to create the most severe cases of inequality imaginable in order to gain the victory. In other words, neither side wants to create an ‘equal chance’ for fighting because each side wants a severely lopsided victory. One side wants to save as many people as possible, and the other side wants as many casualties as possible. There isn’t much room there for compromise – and if we don’t realize that – we need to.

There are many ways in which people can gain an advantage, in business, in sports, and in life. For example, just this week I did something that I had been resisting for quite a while. I joined a triathlon club. In fact, I joined a triathlon club with a very good reputation and track record with a lot of successful athletes (they had 7 athletes qualify for (and race in) the world championships in Kona this last month). That’s impressive. The reason for my hesitation has been primarily because I felt that it was the easy way out. I thought it might be more admirable/impressive if I were to work hard on my own, improve on my own, and qualify for Kona on my own, because after all (in my mind), a tri club (this one in particular) seemed to create an unfair advantage for their athletes somehow removing the ‘equal chance’ for the rest of us due to their associations with vendors, bike fitters, coaches, and advisors. In some strange way, my brain associated these athletes getting all the help they could possibly get in order to improve was somehow cheating. I was (and still am most of the time) an idiot.

Luckily for me, the Book of Mormon is true, and it can prevent my idiot-ness from being permanent.

What I learned this week (helping me feel good about joining this club) is that captain Moroni had founded a triathlon club in the earlier years (about 72 BC) and that if you joined his club you weren’t cheating, you were giving yourself the best chance for improvement (and winning). Just check out his coaching bio: “if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men” (Alma 48:17). And his bio doesn’t end there; the record goes on to show several case studies in how he had encouraged his people to prepare for battle in ‘in a manner which never had been known’ (Alma 49:8) – and win.

Now to be fair, there might have been some Nephites who thought to themselves “all of Moroni’s troops are cheating. They are creating an unfair advantage over the Lamanites by joining his fight club with his extensive preparations and unknown manner of preparation and matching triathlon unitards (the title of liberty is definitely the Nephite tri club logo and the original basis for the current unitard design of today). So, I’ll just work out my own preparation plan by doing the same things we’ve always done.”

Moroni was taking their previously weak places, and building them to ‘exceeding strength’. Is there a better description of what a tri club and/or tri coach should be doing? No. Is there a better description of what we as parents should be doing for our children? No.

We are not preparing the youth (our children) for a battle by ensuring that all sides get an equal chance. We are not preparing them for a battle in which the enemy will engage in ‘good sportsmanship’. We are preparing them for battle against an enemy who is absolutely ruthless and does not want anything other than complete domination.

Moroni teaches all of us how to create inequality in battle and it all starts with preparation. Lots and lots and lots and lots (and lots) of preparation. And he doesn’t stop – even in peaceful times – “Moroni did not stop making preparations for war, or to defend his people” (Alma 50:1). As parents, we must build up heaps of earth round about all the city as the first line of defense. Then we must create ‘works of timbers’ atop the heaps of earth. Then we must build ‘frames of pickets’ atop the works of timbers. After that, we must build a tower overlooking the picket. Then, and only then can we create a place of security on top of the towers in which we can stand (nice and safe) and “cast stones from the top thereof, according to [our] pleasure and [our] strength” (Alma 50:5).

“Thus, Moroni did prepare strongholds against the coming of their enemies” (Alma 50:6).

“Thus, they were prepared… to smite down all who should attempt to come into their place of security” (Alma 49:20).

None of these guys in Moroni’s club were down on the ground fighting the Lamanites ‘on equal grounds’. None of them. And for that reason, “there was not a single soul of the Nephites which was slain” (Alma 49:23).

I think it is worth noting here, that the Lamanites tried their best and began to “dig down their banks of earth that they might obtain a pass to their armies, that they might have an equal chance to fight; but behold, in these attempts they were swept off by the stones and arrow which were thrown at them” (Alma 49:22).

“Thus, the Nephites had all power over their enemies” (Alma 49:23).

We must create an absolutely lopsided battle fortifications for our kids. We are charged (just like Moroni) in establishing a ‘place of security’. And yes, it will take constant preparation. We cannot allow the enemy to ‘obtain a pass’ to our army by any other way than the death trap we create – the front door – where we can see them coming from a mile away and where we have our strongest fortifications. We cannot stop at the heaps of earth, or the timbers, or the pickets, or even the towers. We need to create that place of security on top of all that which happens to be the most unequal chance possible for the enemy to win – just like we want. We cannot think that by sending them out into the world on equal ground with the enemy is a show of good sportsmanship or that somehow that meeting the enemy head on will teach them good battle skills. No – that will just get them injured, or worse – killed.

From our carefully crafted places of security we much teach our kids what the enemy looks like, sounds like, smells like, and feels like so that they are not surprised when they see them coming and so they can be ‘swept off’ by our stones and arrows thrown according to ‘our pleasure and our strength’ (not theirs).

We cannot be naïve or embarrassed about the plain, simple, and powerful doctrines that create our places of safety. We cannot think that by building up heaps of earth, timbers, pickets, towers, and places of safety that we are guilty of offense, discrimination, or hate –because if you are busy down on the ground at the place of entrance apologizing for the towers and the pickets, you can’t see the enemy sneaking up as they come to destroy you.

Let us be like Moroni, who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people… and who was firm in the faith of Christ” (Alma 48:12-13).

Endure to the End!

18 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by Colby Alexander in General, Preparation, Pride, Sports, Strength, Success, Types

≈ Leave a comment

I love college football. This is my favorite time of year. Each year I have renewed hope at what possibilities lie ahead. New players emerge, older players get better, every game counts. It it exciting, thrilling, heartbreaking, and devastating all at the same time.

Sports in general can teach us so much about life, and overcoming obstacles, opposition, and adversity. It is an almost perfect type for our own lives. College football yesterday, gave us that perfect example of a principle I have been thinking about lately. Enduring to the end.

This example, is of a game between bitter rivals. It was a hard fought game between Michigan, and Michigan State. All game it had been a grudge match back and forth, neither team could move the ball very well against the other, both defenses had dominated the opposing offenses, and as time ran down to the last 10 seconds, Michigan found itself ahead by two points with the ball, and just about a minute left. They could almost just take a knee, and let time expire and win the game. Almost.

As time slowly clicked away, Michigan ran the ball to make sure the clock didn’t stop and were able to get time down to just about 10 seconds left. It was 4th down, the ball was on Michigan State’s 48 yard line, and all they had to do was punt the ball away, make one tackle, and the game would be over. They would win the heated rivalry game over their higher ranked bitter enemy. Life was good for Michigan fan. They were basking in the eminent victory. They were on cloud nine. Years of being second fiddle in the state and listening to Michigan State fans trash talk would finally end. The battle was nearly over, and they would be victorious!

Then Michigan snapped the ball. And their 10 second nightmare began.

The punter for Michigan bumbled the snap, the ball fell a few feet in front of him, and in his sudden panic, lunged forward, grabbed the ball, and made a last second heroic effort to kick the ball away. But Michigan State hit him with 3 guys just as the ball left his hand headed towards his foot.

The momentum of the hit sprayed the ball to the right, through the air, and landed perfectly into the hands of a surprised Michigan State player. Upon receiving the miraculous gift of a fumble, he took off, headed towards the end zone 45 yards away. He had a procession of blockers, and only 2 potential tacklers, time seemed to stand still and Michigan fan went from the peak of elation to the depths of despair in mere seconds. Michigan State rolled down the sideline, and lunged into the end zone with no time left to win the game.

Michigan fan could do nothing but stare in disbelief. That actually just happened. One of the most unlikely wins and final plays that could even be conceived. If any of a number of things didn’t go exactly right, or exactly wrong, the game would have ended with Michigan on top. It was unbelievable. The odds of Michigan State winning that game before the final snap were 0.2%. 2 in a thousand! Yet it happened. Michigan State never quit. Michigan State endured to the end. Michigan did not.

The punter had made a huge mistake, but, in the moment, when all the pressure was heaped on him, he actually made it worse by trying to kick the ball again. Had he just fallen on the ball, it would have been downed, and Michigan State would have had to pull off a hail mary pass to win, another unlikely chance. But, in the moment when panic set in, the situation became critical and the decision he made while in that mindset was horribly bad and exactly wrong. And it cost them the game. Had he thought out all the options should anything unplanned happen, the outcome might have been different.

All the hard work, battle, struggle, sweat, and effort for 59 minutes and 50 seconds just went up in smoke. It was kind of like performing a perfect face plant 25 yards from the finish line of a marathon, and never making it to the end. Sometimes we get SOOOOO close!

On the other hand, Michigan State never gave up. They played every last down until the whistle blew, there is ALWAYS a chance that things may bounce your way. But in order to get those bounces, we need to be in the right spot, and playing as hard as we can.

Whether its in a football game, basketball game, baseball game, tennis, running a marathon, or any other competition or challenge, the principle is the same, Never quit! Never stop fighting, clawing, pushing, crawling or clenching towards the finish. Never slow down, never let up. Ever. Our lives are a race, a race to finally get back home, to our Heavenly home, and in the process, be as close to our Savior as we can be, and as much like Him as we can be.

Its never easy, sometimes it seems like its impossible to win, that we might as well just leave, because we are getting our butts handed to us. But thats not why we are here. We are here to compete, to get better, and to endure.

To me, one of the most fascinating parts of the Book of Mormon comes in the final few years of the Nephites just before the coming of Christ to the Americas. At this time, the Nephites and righteous Lamanites actually come together in one body because the Gadianton robbers are so powerful, that they had overtaken nearly the entire country. All the people that followed the prophets gathered together to join forces and preserve their food and protect themselves from invasion. After a long siege, and with the help from God, the Nephites eventually defeated the Gadianton robbers after a massive battle, (the slaughter was the greatest since Lehi had left Jerusalem) and completely eliminated them from the country. God had helped and preserved them according to their faith and trust in Him.

This major battle happened in the 19th year after Christ was born, and lingered until sometime after the 21st year. Christ would begin his ministry halfway around the world in a mere 8 years! So, 600 plus years had passed since Lehi and Nephi left Jerusalem, with countless prophets, wars, contentions, missions, etc. And now, in the 4th quarter, the Nephites had just seemingly defeated the last enemy and could now live in peace until the Lord would visit! Right? They just had to hang on for another few years. And they would celebrate with Christ himself!

After this massive battle, this is the mindset of the Nephites:

”And they did rejoice and cry again with one voice, saying: May the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, protect this people in righteousness, so long as they shall call on the name of their God for protection.

31 And it came to pass that they did break forth, all as one, in singing, and praising their God for the great thing which he had done for them, in preserving them from falling into the hands of their enemies.

32 Yea, they did cry: Hosanna to the Most High God. And they did cry: Blessed be the name of the Lord God Almighty, the Most High God.

33 And their hearts were swollen with joy, unto the gushing out of many tears, because of the great goodness of God in delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; and they knew it was because of their repentance and their humility that they had been delivered from an everlasting destruction. (3 Nephi 4:30-33)

The very first verse in chapter 5 says, “Now behold, there was not a living soul among all the people the Nephites who did doubt in the least the words of all the holy prophets..”

A few verses later, it says,”And there had many things transpired which, in the eyes of some, would be great and marvelous; nevertheless, they cannot all be written in this book; yea, this book cannot contain even a ^ahundredth part of what was done among so many people in the space of twenty and five years;

They seem to be sitting pretty don’t they? Now its down to the final 8 years until the sign of Christ’s death and resurrection. kind of like being up by 2 points with the ball, and only 10 seconds left? All they needed to do was make a decent punt, and make one tackle, and they would be celebrating with the Savior. But, lets watch what happens in just a few very short years…

In the 26th year, they all separated again, and went back home after having lived together as one people.

In chapter 6, it sounds the warning bell, “And now there was nothing in all the land to hinder the people from prospering continually, except they should fall into transgression.” (3 Nephi 6:5)

Kind of like a scouting report that warns about the stone hands of the punter.

Fast forward 3 short years, and this is what you get, “But it came to pass in the twenty and ninth year there began to be some disputings among the people; and some were lifted up unto pride and ^aboastings because of their exceedingly great riches, yea, even unto great persecutions; (3 Nephi 6:10)

Uh, oh. The punter just bumbled the snap. Better just land on it, and take your losses, repent, and get right with the Lord.

But, just like the football game, the worst possible thing that could have happened did.

“Now the cause of this iniquity of the people was this—Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world. (3 Nephi 6:15,)

Now, the opposing player is running towards the end zone, and the game is slipping away.

“And thus in the commencement of this, the thirtieth year, they were in a state of awful wickedness.” (3 Nephi 8:18)

“…and there were but few righteous men among them.” (3 Nephi 7:7)

Year 30. Christ is just beginning his mortal ministry, and will eventually come to visit the Americas in just 3 more years! Thats it! 3 years. After 600 years of preparation, they bumbled it all away at the last moment. They couldn’t quite endure till the end.

We cannot let this happen to us! We need to play every down, every play the best we can. we have to endure, and persevere through the finish line. The tricky part is that we don’t know exactly when the finish line comes, but we cant let ourselves turn into the Nephites who face planted 3 years before the finish line.

Christ was so close! All they had to do was hold on just a little bit longer, and finish strong! He is our end goal! He is why we are here. He is why we can win, and why we even have a chance at all.

Sometimes we can learn lessons from other people’s mistakes. Lets look at the punter for Michigan, and the Nephites, and learn what not to do, so that we can be better prepared to work, and fight, and endure all the way through the finish line!

He is there waiting for us, coaching us, and rooting for us to succeed. Lets all try just a little bit harder to never let up, never slow down, never give up and never lose hope for the win!

If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear

06 Saturday Jun 2015

Posted by mainealexander in Preparation

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What was the last thing you really prepared for? Maybe you prepared for a performance or a sporting event? Maybe you prepared for a hot date? Maybe you prepared for a test? Maybe you prepared for bed? Maybe you prepared to provide anesthesia to a 330-pound special needs youth with situational combative disorder as he is screaming at you to leave the room? Maybe?

We prepare for things all the time. Sometimes it doesn’t take much. Maybe you put on a helmet and funny pants before you ride your bike. Other times the preparation can be quite extensive…

One of the last things I really had to prepare for was the certification exam that followed my graduate school training. I spent 24 months thinking about that stupid test. Literally, every moment I wasn’t studying, I was thinking about how I should have been studying. After I graduated and before I took the exam, I spend hours at the library reviewing notes and taking mock exams. I eventually got so sick of preparing for the exam that I didn’t even care if I passed. I just had to take it. Fortunately, my preparation was sufficient and I benefited greatly.

Our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to be happy. He wants us to get an ‘A’ in life. He has done everything that he could have in order for us to accomplish this task. He has provided a perfect example for us to follow, in addition to the Master, since birth He has surrounded us with teachers. He employs countless diverse and unique methods of teaching in order to reach us personally. He has even provided a syllabus for us. This syllabus clearly defines not only what is expected of us, but also what we can expect from Him. This includes his continually outstretched arms, unconditional love, unending patience, a merciful policy on make-up or late work, and a 24/7 open door policy. Best of all, He has offered us a tutor. This tutor is amazing. He too, is available 24/7. He has many titles, as He does many things. He teaches, warns, comforts, guides, and brings things to our remembrance. He helps us during our preparation and performance. This tutor, of course is the Holy Ghost, or the Spirit.

So how can we always have His Spirit to be with us? By preparing for and participating in the ordinance of the sacrament.

We do it all the time. In fact, we do it so often that we may occasionally forget its significance. Sacrament meeting is the “most sacred, the most Holy of all the meetings of the Church¹” because of the blessing, passing, and partaking of the sacrament.

When was the last time you really prepared for the sacrament? I would argue that our preparation should include more than putting a tie on and singing. Don’t get me wrong, appropriate dress and sacrament hymns are an essential part of preparing for the sacrament. I think that we, or at least I, can do so much more as we prepare to make sacred covenants and ponder and appreciate the most important event in the history of history.

We should prepare for the sacrament with reverence and wonder. How often do we? Do we take time to ponder, reflect, and repent? Do we approach our Sabbath day worship with as much excitement and anticipation as our baptism? I know that I don’t.

I can become better though. We all can. Instructions are built into the syllabus. Section XIII, Article IV, Principle II.

Concerning reverence and solemnity during the sacrament… I have children. To me, it is a major victory to simply get through sacrament meeting without any bloodshed. The good news is that our preparation isn’t confined to a specific time or place. We all prepare in different ways. To me, any time we remember Christ (partially fulfilling our part of the covenant), we prepare for the sacrament.

We can remember his miraculous ministry and teachings. We can remember times when we have felt His love. We can remember Him as we decide what music we listen to or how we speak to others. We can remember Him as we go throughout our day seeing only the good in others.

We can also remember His suffering, pain, and sorrow. As we are struggling or frustrated, we can remember that He continues to work to bring about happiness and hope. We can remember Him and find strength beyond our own. As we remember Him, we can be of good cheer.² Always remembering our Savior will help us remain unspotted from the world, become closer to the spirit, and feel more peace. As we do this, His Spirit will always be with us. That’s a promise.

I can certainly do a better job at always remembering as I prepare for what should be the highlight of my week: partaking of the sacrament.

1 Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation

2 John 16:33

A Profound Silence

03 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by Tyson Alexander in Faith, Preparation, Silence

≈ 3 Comments

Several years ago when I worked for a local gas company as a meter reader, with the job of reading meters manually (that means I walked around and wrote numbers down). One day, I had parked the truck on the curb but left my door open (probably so I could still listen to the radio as I walked to the meter and back) while I worked. About the time I finished writing the numbers down I heard the all too familiar sound of a man-eating dog. After being born into the world pre-programmed to be petrified of dogs (gift of the pre-existence), 4 years as a paperboy, 2 years as a missionary in Brazil, and 4 more as a meter reader, there was no chance for negotiations. So, naturally I ran. In that moment, I ran faster than Usain Bolt has ever run – guaranteed. In the .3 seconds that it took me to travel the 100 feet from where I was to the vicinity of where the truck was parked I managed a glance at the beast that was seeking my life. It was pretty much a werewolf with fangs and claws like a T-Rex. I was doomed – or so he thought/hoped. As he closed in on me something truly amazing happened; with about 10 feet to go I knew there was not time to stop, get in the seat, and shut the door – so I had to do it all in one fluid motion. I leapt, flew 10 feet in the air, and during that graceful move I contorted my body into a sitting position, and at exactly the same time I twisted my body sideways so that I was literally flying through the air in a seated position – which allowed me to gracefully land perfectly into the seat of my truck. This is amazing on its own, but I need to add one more detail. During this acrobatic motion, I also was able to grab the door handle and swing it shut with me (as if it were part of my own body) and in the precise instant that I landed on the seat, the door shut with me leaving the werewolf hound on the outside looking in – amazed and angry at what had just happened.

The moment I was safe in the cab of my truck – I looked around in a desperate hope to see if anyone had witnessed that most graceful move in the history of graceful moves. I searched the streets, neighboring windows for anyone, anywhere, anything that could have witnessed this event – and I was met with crickets. Nothing. Complete and utter silence. Nobody saw it, nobody was cheering for me, nobody was shaking his or her head in amazement. Just me and the carnivorous werewolf who was cheated out of his lunch – and even he didn’t linger in awe. I was so disappointed that I didn’t have anyone to witness my feat. In what may very well be the most athletic and awesome move that has ever been performed by anyone, anywhere (including the dunk contest, figure skating, and all those trampoline competitions or chess matches) I was left completely on my own, with not a single soul even knowing about what a great thing had just occurred. And to pour salt in my emotional wounds, the expectation that I would still read the rest of the meters on my route during my shift remained in full force. Life is cruel.

Sometimes the most amazing things are accomplished without a single human eye to see it or a single ear to hear it.

We are all asked to do a lot of things. Hundreds and hundreds of things that can and will help us become better. In addition to all those things, we are required to do things every single day like go to work, sleep, shower, rest, use the bathroom, shop for groceries, mow the lawn, wash clothes, fold clothes, help the kids with homework, make dinner, clean dinner, wash the dishes, clean the house, teach our kids to be nice to other people, teach our kids the gospel, teach our kids what the world is really about just to keep from living in a garbage can down by the river. In my house there are no bleachers, there are no film crews and cameras. None of these amazing and important things are done in front of an audience. In fact, all of these things, the very things we are asked to do, are done in obscurity, with absolutely nobody watching. They are done in silence. Don’t believe me? Ask your wife.

I’d also like to make a connection that I think is rather amazing. First, we need to understand or remember that these things – the every day things we do in complete obscurity when absolutely nobody is watching – are the very real ways and means for each of us to actually put on the armor of God, and to help prepare our children prepare themselves with that same armor. Remember that the armor of God includes several defensive tools and a single offensive tool, and when united together this armor can be described as our “weapons of war”.

With that understanding, let’s read the following passage in Alma 55 (verses 16 and 17):

…and Moroni had prepared his men with weapons of war,… while the Lamanites were in a deep sleep and drunken, and cast in weapons of war unto the prisoners, insomuch that they were all armed; Yea, even to their women, and all those of their children, as many as were able to use a weapon of war, when Moroni had armed all those prisoners; and all those things were done in a profound silence.

This passage is so amazing when you consider yourself as Moroni and the prisoners as our children, or those whom we love and have responsibility for. While the world is “in a deep sleep and drunken” it is our responsibility to “cast in weapons of war unto the prisoners” until they become “armed”.¹ This includes the women, the children, and “as many as are able to use a weapon of war. And maybe the best part of all – “those things were done in a profound silence”.

The word profound means “pervasive or intense, thorough, complete”. Think of the intense meaning then, of a profound silence. Not just a lack of noise, or even a quiet situation; but a deep and intense, pervasive silence. This is the acclaim that we are slotted to receive for the hard work that the Lord has asked us to do. This is the applause that we can expect from the world while we are trying against all rational thought to read (and understand) scriptures with our young children at 6:30 in the morning. These are the sounds that we can expect to encounter while we are busy arming ourselves against the loud and boisterous world. Profound silence.

For some context, let’s remember that some of the most amazing things in the entire history of the world have happened in a profound silence – and yet have the most deafening results. The atoning prayer and resurrection of Jesus Christ were done in what may be considered the most profound yet reverberating silence of all. Our small, simple, and weak efforts every single day to arm ourselves and our children with “weapons of war” that are often done in a profound silence, will be the very real means by which “all the poor and meek of the earth… may become a great mountain and fill the whole earth.²with power, light, love, joy, and peace.

So, 14 seconds from now, when you are wondering why the world doesn’t celebrate your every accomplishment to follow the savior, or you can’t figure out why the blessing dump truck hasn’t arrived at your door because you read your scriptures today, just remember that the quietest acts of goodness may end up being the loudest of all – and that Jesus Christ came to earth, lived as a man, suffered unspeakable things, and performed the most amazing and infinite act of pure love that will ever be known – “and those things were done in a profound silence”.

Notes

1 It is also interesting to consider that we cannot “cast in weapons of war unto the prisoners” if we don’t have any weapons for ourselves. Consider the parable of the 10 virgins in this light.

2 D&C 109:72

Lowering the Boom on Food Storage

31 Tuesday Mar 2015

Posted by Riley Alexander in Food Storage, Preparation

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A couple of days ago while talking to my niece about food storage she told me what one of her friends had told her about a Stake Fireside she had gone to. The topic was on preparedness and food storage. The time came to start the meeting which was well attended. There was one intended speaker and after the prayer, song and person conducting outlined the layout of the meeting the speaker walked to the pulpit as he was scheduled to. He said “by the raise of hands who here has a 72 hour kit” to which quite few raised their hands. He then said “how many here also have a 3 month supply of food” many of those hands went down. He continued “by the raise of hands who also has a 6 month supply of food?” Many more of those hands went down. Lastly he said “by the show of hands who here has a 72 hour kit and 1 year supply of food and water?” At this point only “a few” hands remained raised from the entire congregation.

He then said “if you won’t listen to the apostles and the prophet, why would you listen to me?” and promptly sat down. The fireside was over.

That is lowering the Boom on food storage! It’s hard to imagine a more effective lesson on food storage than that. One sentence, a simple question that hit every person there like a 50# bag of refried beans with a 30+ year shelf life.

If I were to count every time we’ve been counseled to get our food storage I would probably be in the bazillions or gazillions by now. We’ve heard it a before, and for years and years, but really, let’s get real about this right now! Imagine just for a second what you would do if RIGHT NOW a natural disaster hit and the supply chains were cut off. Let say in 5 minutes you would be left with no running water, no power, no gas, no way to get to the store for warm clothes, sleeping bags, heaters, gas, or a generator (which the stores would be looted anyways) and you’re left with only what you have at your home right now.

If right now you’re thinking about how long the bag of Cheetos in the pantry could sustain you nutritionally and if it’s possible to quench your thirst with Ketchup… you’re in trouble. Let’s say the disaster is actually a string of disasters and the entire state or even half the country is involved. In that case, help would be extremely slow IF it ever came at all. We’re counseled to get a year worth of food storage… sounds a little ominous no?

If that situation were the case, how much more important to you would food and water storage be than it is to you right now? How valid then would the common excuses of “I can’t afford it”, “I don’t know how” or “I don’t have room” be than they are now? Would you have done things differently? I would hope sustaining your life and the lives of your families would be on top of the list. In some cases families have to make sacrifices to prepare properly. That might mean sacrifices on expenditures, cars, vacations, and more. Sure, it sounds like a total downer, but in the end it comes down to what means more to you? Would you rather chew on the muffler of your brand new car you splurged on… or some delicious 12 year old macaroni noodles with powdered cheese? Sure that’s a horrible comparison but have you tasted muffler?

Lately, I’ve been feeling the need to prepare more and build more onto what I already have. I’ve been thinking about it nonstop all day long for weeks now and basically obsessing over it. I may be slow, but even I know when I’ve being prompted. It’s on my mind so much, I figured I’d even write a blog post on it, and share some ideas. I’m not saying my method is the best, or that there’s only one way to prepare, but this is just what I think may be a good idea or place to start. After all, the only wrong way to prepare is not to prepare at all.

I started with the easy stuff that takes no brains to do: Pre-prepared freeze dried meals. The pros are there is a variety, they pack light, they fit everywhere, they taste more like real food, they come in stackable reusable bins, they can last 30 years, and they require only water to cook. The cons are that it tends to be much more expensive, however the more you buy the cheaper they become.

I started by looking at multiple different companies including Lindon Farms, the Wise Company, Food Legacy, Mountain House, Dailey Bread, and Shelf Reliance. (Since then Numanna has become a very good option too)

I found which one I thought was the best value and highest food quality and decided on a family package. I then called about 10 distributors of the brand I chose (various stores and websites) and simply told them I was comparing prices and would be purchasing from the cheapest source with the most perks. I was amazed at the discounts, free food, free shipping, other supplies and other freebies I was able to get just by asking… I ended up getting more food for a ton cheaper than I originally planned!

Then, I got my bulk stuff. If you needed even more proof that our Church is awesome, go to the Church cannery. The food is ridiculously cheap, and it’s not just for members of the Church. Even on a budget, a very small budget in fact you can start stocking up. There is no excuse not to start. It’s dirt cheap. Here is a link to their pricelist and where you can find your nearest location.

https://providentliving.org/self-reliance/food-storage/home-storage-center-order-form?lang=eng

You can buy in bulk to take home to can or put in buckets, you can use their canner for free at their location, or you can buy it canned already at cost for them to do the labor for you. Yeah, you read that right, you can buy pre-canned stuff that they have done for you at cost without added labor. That’s like the neighbor kid mowing your lawn every week for the cost of gas. It’s Crazy simple and they have multiple people there to help you.

I bought only the items in bulk in the giant bags, and only the items with 30 year shelf life. Think about it, buying food with a 30 year shelf life means you never have to rotate it, EVER, for 30 years. There really is no excuse… food storage is as easy as you make it.

So, now with my bulk food I wanted a way to organize it better as well as keep it fresh, waterproof and easily accessible so I opted to put them in buckets instead of leaving them in the bags that would be wasted and ruined in the case of a flood, or a small tear. I also like buckets more than #10 cans because they are way more convenient and easy to move around. Trust me, after moving a family member with nothing but #10 cans, there is a much more efficient way to store food! Rather than the regular bucket lids however, I opted for Gamma lids which are way easier to work with, they are water tight, air tight, don’t require a bucket tool to open, and won’t break your hand in 12 places every time you try to open them, plus, they are available in 7 colors which helps in color coding things.

So, I organized the food into colors, so even just looking at the buckets I would know what the contents were even if they weren’t labeled which they also are. This will help in separating and evaluating inventory quickly. Lastly, with gamma lids, it’s easier to reuse the bucket for another purpose when your delicious 18 year old potato flakes are gone. Mmmm… just thinking about that makes my mouth water.

That’s just where we started. You can start wherever and however you want… just start! As of now it’s not too late. I can’t think of a worse feeling than waking up one day and realizing it IS too late.

Properly Preparing for a Prize-Winning Passage Past Prevailing Pathways

28 Saturday Mar 2015

Posted by Riley Alexander in Preparation

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Last summer my 3 brothers and I met up for our annual “Brothers weekend” in Moab Utah to go mountain biking. As is my personal custom and personality I packed at the last available second procrastinating as much as humanly possible. This clearly flawed system has proven itself every time to be a horrible and negative preparation tactic, yet despite that fact I do it on EVERY vacation.

Quickly after the Brothers all met (Colby and Casey flew in) we planned to “hit the trail”. As we unloaded from the truck, I wish I could say that I was “shocked” to find I had underprepared but that would be a lie. My first mistake was my choice in helmet. I had brought my full face motocross helmet (because it looks totally awesome) yet failed to realize that wearing that type of helmet would be like 4 million times too hot for the weather and situation in Moab I knew I would be in.

I am grateful for my brothers. Not only did Tyson bring his own helmet and the helmets he agreed to bring for Colby and Tyson, but he also brought one more “just in case”. Tyson’s preparation insured my trip to Moab didn’t include multiple IV’s sticking out of my body due to heat exhaustion or any awkward mouth to mouth resuscitation by Colby or Casey. The bike riding was a success and super fun.

On the last day of the trip after bike riding all day I got cleaned up and ready to change. To my horror my preparation (lack of preparation) again reared its ugly and in this case stinky head. As you may or may not know, when men exert much physically in the heat of the day for hours on end and sweat profusely they surprisingly do not emit a pleasant rose like aroma. So the fact that I didn’t have a change or shorts was alarming. I was left with 2 options:

Option #1 – Wear gross shorts from day 1 that I’d warn all day while mountain biking in hot Moab.

Option #2 – Wear gross shorts from day 2 that I’d warn all day while mountain biking in hot Moab.

One of my favorite movie characters is Jason Bourne so with my back against the wall, I thought to myself “WWJBD” (what would Jason Bourne do). Sadly, after the tumbleweeds blew across my mind the only thing I could think of was created a new option, which was:

Option #3 – Wear no pants at all for the rest of the day and the entire drive home!

I feared option #3 would automatically revoke my invitation to any and all future events for the rest of my mortal life with them. So, in a last ditch effort I threw a “hail Mary” and asked “does anyone have an extra pair of shorts?” Again, Tyson answered the call! I was saved, as were the eyes and nightmares sure to come to my brothers. This also staved away the relentless retelling of this event at every family reunion for the rest of mortality.

Like the class did with my wood shop project in high School spoken of in my last post, I can often teach how to do something by providing the example of what NOT to do. The fact is, we need to be prepared. Not just physically prepared, but spiritually prepared also. If this experience were compared to the parable of the 10 virgins I would have been found asleep without a lamp, at the wrong side of town, 2 days past the decided date, at 11 in the morning, thinking I was going to a birthday party.

My preparation was not good! It was awful! I could have done a lot better, yet I didn’t. It was my own fault and under any other condition I would likely have suffered the consequences for my lack of preparation. Yet through the preparation of my older brothers, I was saved.

In real life however and eternal salvation the parable holds true. We alone are responsible for our preparation and faith. I can help but I can’t make others read the scriptures, go to Church, do their home teaching, go to the Temple, or prepare in any way. In other words, I can’t prepare for you. We alone must do the work for ourselves. We can ask for the help of others of course, but we first need to have the desire to help ourselves or even their help is in vain. What we decide to start with, or continue with is up to us, we just need to start or continue! If I had any advice for myself or others, it would be to prepare spiritually in the exact opposite way that I prepare for vacations. We can’t afford to procrastinate, wait, under prepare, rely on others or not take serious our spiritual preparation. As with anything to do with Christ, there is always help. One of the most amazing things about growing stronger spiritually is that we can help and be helped by others along the way! We’ve all heard a story about righteous courage that spurs us with a desire to be better. We’ve all heard that testimony that raises us to another level. Words are so effective in our journey if we allow them to be. Hearing powerful words of testimony yet failing to act upon them is something I think we could all improve on. Let us strive to “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only”. Let us every day try to better ourselves and also uplift others. Let us make a commitment to be better, to do better, to treat others better and we will naturally find ourselves nearer to Christ than we were prior. After all, we know what’s coming… we just need to be ready for it. Oh, and don’t forget to “pack enough shorts”.

4 brothers blog

Category Archives: Preparation

Listen, Prepare, and Live

The Fierceness of the Wind

The Ghost and the Darkness

To the End Enduring

Digging Ditches to Be Happy

An equal chance to fight

Endure to the End!

If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear

A Profound Silence

Lowering the Boom on Food Storage

Properly Preparing for a Prize-Winning Passage Past Prevailing Pathways

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