“I Am a Nephite.”

28 Sunday Aug 2016

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

Thorin Oakenshield

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Up is Down

22 Wednesday Jun 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Isaiah 5:20-24

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

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

-2 Nephi 9:28, 29

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

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

Up is Down

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

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

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

The answer to this craziness,
is dedicated righteousness,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Master of Ocean and Earth and Skies

26 Thursday May 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Henry Knox

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

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

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

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

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

-2 Nephi 15:12

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Moses 7:61

By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them

18 Monday Apr 2016

Posted by Colby Alexander in General, Poems, Prophets

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Fruit

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Laban Strikes Out

27 Wednesday Jan 2016

Posted by Colby Alexander in Agency, Faith, General, Holy Ghost, Obedience, Pride, Prophets, Testimony

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Remember that old poem “Casey at the bat”? It tells of the mighty Casey, the greatest hitter in baseball who famously, and heroically came to bat at the end of a game and had so much confidence, that he let the first two pitches go by without even a second thought to even swing. Then, on the dramatic third pitch in a cloud of dust, he whiffed on the third and final pitch, striking out, and ending the game. He had let two perfect opportunities go by, and when crunch time came, he blew it. The mighty Casey had struck out.

Amazingly, a very similar story took place in real life about 2600 years ago in a little town called Jerusalem. Instead of the mighty Casey, the man was Laban. Lets check out the drama that unfolded.

Laban was an important man in the community, and was known to be kind of a big deal among the Elders of the Jews. He was likely very wealthy, and had in his possession the plates of Brass, which included the Law of the Jews, as well as the record of his entire genealogy down from the first prophets, through Joseph, and all the way to him. These Brass plates would basically be the prize that would go to the winner in the epic “at bat” that took place all those years ago. The mighty Laban at the plate and the humble Lehi as the starter on the mound.

The first pitch from Lehi occurred after he was shown a vision of the coming destruction of Jerusalem. It would be destroyed if its people would not repent. He then went about the city preaching. This first pitch was not received well. The scriptures explain, “And it came to pass that the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified of them¹”

Now, Laban and all his Jerusalem buddies, the Jews, had decided to mock Lehi, instead of listen. But that wasn’t all, the scripture continues, “And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away².” Well, the mighty Laban, as well as his friends, decided that they didn’t quite like that first pitch from Lehi, and decided to let that go, and instead opted for attempted murder and death threats. Lehi’s fastball right down the middle, his call to repent and be saved? The mighty Laban decided to pass. Strike 1.

For the second pitch, Nephi took over on the mound, with a fresh arm, and he and his brothers traveled back to Jerusalem from their wilderness hideout. They decided on an even more direct approach, to just go ahead and ask Laban for the plates. Besides, its not like he was actually reading the scriptures or following their teachings right? Worth a try. So, the next pitch was another straight fastball right down the middle. “Hey, Laban, can we just go ahead and have the brass plates?” How’d that go? “And it came to pass that Laban was angry, and thrust him out from his presence; and he would not that he should have the records. Wherefore, he said unto him: Behold thou art a robber, and I will slay thee³.” So, after the second middle of the plate fastball, and perfect chance #2, Laban not only watched it go by, but also threw out a false accusation of robbery, and dished out death threats. Strike 2.

Now, the mighty Laban seemingly was oblivious to the dire situation he found himself in, he had not only rejected the words of the prophets, but he had also threatened to kill them, and falsely accused them of robbery. Both big no-no’s in Jewish law at the time. But, we will get into that later.

The third pitch delivered by Nephi was an even slower, perfectly straight softball floating beach ball pitch. Nephi and his brothers went back to their place, gathered up all their gold and silver in an effort to buy, or trade for the plates of brass. What a deal right? Lehi was likely a very wealthy man, and had a lot of precious things. So the 4 brothers headed in to see Laban again, this time loaded with their treasure, and what happened?… ”[Laban] did alust after it, insomuch that he thrust us out, and sent his servants to slay us, that he might obtain our property4” Nice. So another 4 counts of attempted murder, and armed robbery. Or, in other words, Strike 3.

Laban probably didn’t even realize he was up to bat. He didn’t even swing. The Lord handed him 3 perfect opportunities to do it the easy way, the way that would have left him alive with his head still attached, but he was blinded by lust. Lust for power, and for money.

The story and life of Laban ended a few hours later that night when Nephi was led by the spirit to the street where Laban was passed out drunk. Nephi was constrained to slay him. He shrunk, but eventually did slay Laban by cutting off his head with his own sword, disguised himself in his clothes, and obtained the brass plates for his posterity and fulfilled the commandments of the Lord.

Nephi was commanded to kill Laban. To some, this may seem strange. A righteous prophet commanded to slay another man while he lay drunk in the street? Was that necessary? Lets look at it through 2600 year old eyes.

In 600 B.C. Jerusalem, the laws were a bit different than they are here in the USA in 2015. The “Law” was the law of Moses as it was written in the old testament. And Laban over the months and especially the last few days of his life was certainly breaking many of those laws.

Laban’s first problem was that he was likely among the “Jews” who mocked Lehi, and sought to take away his life. Not exactly living up to “thou shalt not kill”

Laban’s second problem was that he had falsely accused Laman of robbery. Robbery at that time was a capitol offense, or punishable by death. Also, in Deuteronomy 19:18 the law regarding false testimony is spelled out. “And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother” Wow, so if you falsely accused someone of a capitol crime, guess what? Congratulations, you were guilty of a capitol crime!

Laban’s third problem was a combination of his 1st problem and his second problem. He actually had committed robbery, and actually had tried to kill Nephi and his brothers. Capitol offense, capitol offense. This is starting to be like OJ driving away in a white bronco.

So, in many ways, Nephi, who did not want to kill Laban, as was demonstrated by his entering into the city unarmed, and shrinking when the spirit constrained him to do it, was, in essence, carrying out the legal punishment for Laban’s crimes, even though he didn’t necessarily want to.

This story is a perfect example of how the Lord is in perfect control of every aspect of his plan for his children. He gave Laban plenty of chances to play nice, but he didnt. It also demonstrates how the Lord will always prepare a way for his children to succeed if they rely on him. The Lord provided the way for the brass plates to come into the possession of Lehi’s family, and did it in a perfectly planned out and fair way. God bless Nephi for following the promptings of the spirit even when it was very difficult to do.

I hope each of us can develop the amount of confidence in the Lord, and in ourselves to follow the spiritual promptings we are given. If we do, we never know what hidden blessings are in store for us or our family further down the line..

1 1 nephi 1:19

2 1 nephi 1:20

3 1 nephi 3:13

4 1 nephi 3:25

5 Josephs

28 Monday Dec 2015

Posted by Colby Alexander in Example, Fatherhood, General, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, Prophets, Resurrection

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Joseph

One of the cool things that comes with Christmas, are the new videos that the church puts out around this time. This year was a good one showing the birth of Christ through Joseph’s eyes. If you missed it, Here it is. These videos keep getting better and better. I really liked the fact that Mary and Joseph, and everyone around doesn’t look like they were born in Idaho, or that they are in the theatrical production department at BYU. They actually look, and speak as if they were in that part of the world. It makes it a lot easier to imagine what it would have been like in Jerusalem during that time.

We don’t really know a lot about Joseph through the scriptures, but we can draw several conclusions based on what we do know. The one simple thing that stands out to me is the name “Joseph”. I don’t think anything, especially having to do with the life of Jesus Christ, is by chance. Joseph’s name was not by chance. This was the man who would raise a perfect son. He would be the fatherly example to the one who would be the perfect example.

Just for fun, lets check out all the other Josephs we know. The pattern we see will show us that the name Joseph is kind of a big deal. As we think, maybe it will be even more obvious how great a man he must have been simply because God gave him a name was destined to be so meaningful.

Joseph #1.

Joseph Greets his Brothers in Egypt

Probably the Joseph after which most other subsequent Josephs are named. Was one of the 12 sons of Jacob, or Israel. He was sold into Egypt by his own brothers as a slave and, as the story goes, won over the heart of the Pharaoh, received visions from God warning of the 7 years of plenty and of famine, and basically saved or brought salvation to Egypt, and in turn, his whole family, the covenant family of Israel, from certain death. A branch of this Joseph’s lineage also happened to be a group led by Lehi, and Nephi, who were the first authors of a book called the Book of Mormon. Not too shabby at all.

Joseph #2

Joseph of Arimathea

Joseph of Arimathea. This Joseph is just briefly mentioned in scripture as well, but what a privilege he had. He provided the tomb for the Savior after he was crucified. He acted against his peers and almost all the contemporaries around him, and provided a safe place for the body of the Lord. It was from his tomb, that the Savior would emerge in his resurrected glorified form. It was from his tomb, that the gift of immortality for all men would be realized. It was from his tomb that the realization of eternal life could be possible! It was from his tomb, that salvation came in the form of the glorified resurrected Lord!

Joseph #3

Joseph Smith Sr.

Joseph Smith Sr. was responsible for raising the future prophet that would restore the complete gospel of Jesus Christ in the last dispensation. He instilled in his son, and his whole family, the values, and lessons that gave a young 14 year old boy the understanding that he could go to a grove of trees and ask the questions that would eventually change the world. As an added bonus, he was also the first patriarch of the restored church.

Joseph #4

Joseph Smith Jr.

One of the beneficiaries of the amazing Joseph Smith Sr. was his son, Joseph Smith Jr. This Joseph grew to be the great prophet of the restoration. He received more by way of revelation, and prophetic writings than any other prophet. Ever. He saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. Through this Joseph, the Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored, which provides the necessary ordinances that brings salvation to all men.

Joseph #5

Joseph and Jesus

All of these Josephs are amazing, they make up an elite All-Time All-Joseph team. So, is it any wonder, that the final Joseph, the Joseph that raised Jesus, the humble carpenter, also carries that name? Our Father in Heaven would not leave his son in the care of an ordinary man. He needed a humble, righteous, obedient, and loving man. He needed a man that would, quite literally, fill his own role in an earthly sense. He needed a man who would teach and raise the only begotten Son of God as if he were his own. He needed a man in whom he would entrust the Savior of the world. He needed a man, who would be humble enough to accept his calling, even though the boy he would raise, knew at a very early age, who his real Father was. Joseph was that man. So, even though we learn precious little about Joseph the man who raised Jesus, we can imagine that he may be one of the greatest men to ever walk on earth, because God the Father trusted him, and only him, to care for his little boy, the Savior of us all!
So, whats in a name? A lot. when we pause and think about the intricate symphony that our Father in Heaven is directing, it is evident. Every name has meaning, every note is where its meant to be, every moment, every place, every event is just as its meant to be. The name Joseph, by itself, is an honor. Lets think about that great man a little more this Christmas, and give him his place among the greatest Josephs of all time!

P.S. Other Josephs that that were also awesome but for this list earned “honorable mentions” include Joseph (brother of Nephi), Joseph Fielding Smith, Joseph F. Smith, and the apostles Joseph F. Merrill (1931), and Joseph B. Worthlin (1986). As a side note, it is interesting that since the restoration of the gospel in 1830, 3 of the 16 presidents of the church have been named Joseph.

The Overwhelming Importance of Tee Ball

02 Wednesday Dec 2015

Posted by Colby Alexander in Discernment, General, Prophets

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One of the most difficult tasks in all of sports is to hit a good curveball. It comes at you traveling sometimes up to 90 miles an hour, from only about 60 feet away. You have only a split second to recognize the velocity and direction, make a decision on whether to swing or not, and then adjust your hands, wrists, arms, legs, and head to make contact with the ball. It takes years and years and hours and hours of practice to be able to do it with even a little bit of consistency. But for the most part, we would all look foolish standing in the batter’s box facing the worlds best pitchers and their wicked curveballs. The professional hitters often do.

So what would it take to get to where we could hit that curveball? It would take the same amount of time, effort, practice and experience that the best hitters in the world put in. But even they started with the basics. Tee Ball.

When kids start playing baseball, they’re usually tiny, and are just as interested in the butterfly’s floating in the outfield as they are with the bat and ball. But hitting is taught with the ball sitting stationary, on a tee, ready to be hit. Its simple, easy, and the perfect way to practice your swing.

As the years go by, and you become more experienced, hitting becomes more advanced and difficult, the coach pitches to you, then the other kids. Eventually those kids get older, better, grow muscles, and a mean streak, and pretty soon, instead of that friendly floating ball thats easy to hit, its a hurled projectile that may or may not have any control on it. sometimes its within the strike zone, and sometimes you duck to save your face.

After a while, the simple straight fast ball isn’t the only thing coming your way, its mixed with an off speed slower one, a curving bender, a sliding knee buckler, or the knuckleball that dances just like the butterflies from tee ball.

But with time, experience, practice and some luck, you can still hit them. Even the best pitches can be hit. Even though at times it seems nearly impossible. But one thing is for sure, if you haven’t practiced, or seen them before, your chances are slim. You may even have a slight heart attack simply watching the pitch scream towards you.

The same concept is playing out today in our society. Especially in a spiritual sense. Our opposition in society is throwing curveballs, sliders, knuckleballs, and a nasty heater almost every pitch. But it seems like not all of us have put in the time, and practice to have a reasonable shot at fending off those pitches and being successful at the plate.

We need to go back to basics. back to Tee Ball.

When we were little, in primary, we all learned the how to do what our Heavenly Father asks of us. Choose the right, follow the prophet, love one another, and love God. We learned who we were, and what our purpose on earth is. The gospel was taught in a simple way that was simple to understand. It was tee ball.

As we grow older, life seemingly gets a little more complicated. But the basics are still the same, just like keeping our eyes on the ball, taking a smooth step, and having a level swing. We still need to love God, love our neighbor, choose the right, follow the council of the prophets, and recognize who we are, and why we are here.

The game changes as we grow older spiritually as well. Just as in baseball, the opposition gets better, grows muscles, and a nasty streak. He tries to cheat, and fool us by throwing different pitches. He tries to deceive us. And he has a nasty curve.

So how do we hit his curve, his split finger, or his dancing knuckleball? We have to start with the basics.

We need to follow the formula for success, and practice and practice, and practice. We do this by being close to the Lord, His spirit, and follow and live His teachings. As we do so, we become familiar with it, and recognize when He is influencing us, when He is speaking through His prophets, and most importantly, we begin to recognize the curveball. We see it coming, we are prepared for it, and we can hit it.

The basic fundamentals of the gospel are as simple as keeping our eyes on the ball. Its being in the scriptures, praying, and genuinely wanting to be like our Savior. If we do that, we will be ready for the curve, because we will see and recognize it.

And the curves are coming. Today, a lot of people, even within the gospel, are having a hard time with some of the curveballs coming from the opposition. The society norms are being passed off as good, and touted as progress, but in reality are in direct opposition to the gospel truths taught by the Lord and His prophets. The best curveballs look just like a fastball until the last second when the bottom falls out, but then, its too late, because we’ve already started to swing.

If we start young or old, it doesn’t matter, we need to keep our eyes on the ball, and practice, practice, practice. If we do, and listen to, and follow the advise, council, and teachings of the living prophets and apostles (best 15 coaches you could ask for), we will be prepared for, and recognize the curves when then come. It is the 9th inning after all, and the game is coming to an end, and we need to really decide….whose team are we on?

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Category Archives: Prophets

“I Am a Nephite.”