Which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor

In Ether Chapter 12 it says:

Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

I really like the idea of hope as an anchor, I think the imagery is very powerful. I haven't been in real boats... just canoes and powerboats, so I may have some of the details wrong... you'll just have to forgive me.

First of all, when you are anchored, you will still have all of the ups and downs of life. An anchored ship still rises and falls with the tide, and with each wave. In a bad storm it can still take a beating. In our lives, hope alone isn't enough to protect us from troubles, pain or suffering. Nor will it keep us from spiritual wandering, but it can keep us close to our beliefs, and when we reach the "end of our chain" it will pull us back towards the place we found safety.

While the anchor does keep the ship tethered to the same point, the ship itself can actually move around that tether. I would assume that during low tide, the ship can wander farther than usual due to the extra slack in the chain/rope to which the anchor is connected. In the darkest times of our lives, when we reach our lowest points, we may find ourselves far from where we started, but the hope that we have can draw us back and as we draw on that hope, we can bring ourselves back to safety.

Anchors work best in a safe harbor. Dropping an anchor in the deep ocean in the middle of a storm will do little if any good. The anchor has a pre-determined depth (the length of the chain) where it will work. If you are deeper than the anchor can reach, it cannot find a foundation where it can secure you. If we only try to hope... to exercise our hope when we are already in trouble, the hope may not be enough to save us. There is a saying that there is no such thing as a Athiest in a foxhole, however if you wait till you are in a foxhole to hope that there is a God, it would be difficult for that hope to motivate your life, nor would it offer as much comfort as someone who had tried and experienced the stability and strength that comes from living a christian life.

An anchor isn't a mooring, it is not impossible for the ship to move. It is more difficult, but the ship could feasibly drag the anchor across the ocean floor. Hope isn't enough to guarantee that we will never stray too far. If we have that hope for a better world, but we let whatever winds prevail drive us... we might end up so far from that better world that we can no longer see it.

Personal Covenants

One of things that I love about the gospel is how personal it is. Of course there are commandments that we all must keep, but at some point we become like the young rich man who asked Christ "What lack I yet?" --he was given the opportunity to make a covenant of righteousness that wasn't necessarily asked of anyone else. Immediately the gospel became intimate. I think there are many reasons why we make personal covenants. In the story of the Ammonites, their personal covenants came of repentance.

"And now behold, I have somewhat to say concerning the people of Ammon, who, in the beginning, were Lamanites; but ... they had been converted ... They had taken an oath that they never would shed blood more;" -Alma 53:10-11

The powerful, familiar story follows that they were willing to literally lay down and die to preserve the covenant. Here is what the Amonites considered worse than death:

"We have been convinced of our sins, and of the many murders which we have committed. ... since it has been all that we could do ... to repent of all our sins ... and to get God to take them away from our hearts ... let us retain our swords that they be not stained with the blood of our brethren; for perhaps, if we should stain our swords again they can no more be washed bright" -Alma 24:9-13

(Emphasis mine) The amonites were raised as a violent and bloody people. They were warmongers and cruel, "bloodthirsty." It was a deep part of their culture and their identity. When they repented they abandoned all of that, and they could not return--at any cost. Even when the war was just and righteous, they could not participate. I think the reason is that if they did return to war, even with the right intentions, the habits and tendencies of the past would come back too strong and they would become lost to bloodlust and hatred.

Sometimes when we repent there are things that others can do that we can never do again. There may be movies that we cannot see, events that we cannot attend, or places that we cannot be. Situations that may otherwise be benign we must consider perilous. A former alcoholic is forever a "recovering" alcoholic because just a taste can recreate their addiction.

It must have been heartwrenching to see Nephites dying at the hands of their former brethren in their defense.

"But it came to pass that when they saw the danger, and the many afflictions and tribulations which the Nephites bore for them, they were moved with compassion and were desirous to take up arms in the defence of their country. ... And Helaman feared lest by so doing they should lose their souls" -Alma 53:13-15

The Nephites were willing to die so the Amonites wouldn't break their covenant. I'm afraid I fall far short of that. I realized that we have an obligation to support and help others keep, not just the formal covenants, but also personal covenants of righteousness. I think sometimes it is easy to think that someone is being self righteous, 'pious' or over zealous when their rules seem 'above and beyond' established doctrine. I can be opinionated and I fear I may have used my standard to determine the appropriateness of other peoples actions. I may have even tried to convince others to do something they are not comfortable with, because I am. I sorrow at the thought. The next time when someone has a higher standard of Sabbath Day obsevances, entertainment choices, dress standards, spending habits or whatever it may be, I hope they can count on me to be like the Nephites who said: "We will set our armies between ... that we may protect our brethren." -Alma 27/23

Protected by armor

Moroni has his troops wear armor into battle, when the lamanites wore none. The nephites were overwhelmingly protected. In theory that seems so obvious, however in practice, there would be cause for deep reservation. The armor would have been heavy, restrictive and hot. They would have fatigued much sooner, would have been slower, more awkward, and had difficulty maneuvering. The style of fighting at the time was unencumbered, it was what they were good at, and the lamanites could have litterally ran circles around them. It sounded good, but pragmatically it could have set them up for defeat.

The important thing was that their leader commanded it, they obeyed, and they were blessed.

On my mission there were many rules that sounded good, but had some practical limitations. For example we were asked to speak only the mission language. At first it seems obvious that speaking a language all the time will make you better, but in some cases, it could actually make it worse...Most of the missionaries in my mission were american. In many cases we reinforced our own bad accents and grammar--instead of hearing primarily natives speaking the language, when we were inundated with other people making the same mistakes we were prone to make, they started to sound correct. It also threw a huge burden on top of an already heavy load. It was really difficult to have two people trying to work together unable to effectively communicate because of an artificial limitation. It can be incredibly isolating, especially for new missionaries. And it is tiring because progress comes so slowly and there is virtually no repreive.

However, when our Mission president asked, I found myself saying "Esta bem" ("OK") To my suprise, my concerns, which I still think are valid seemed irrelevant, I just wanted to obey.

There are many things that we hear that sound good, but can be hard to embrace in practice. Food storage, Tithes and offerings, missionary work, family history etc. etc. I'm sure each one of us can think of several things we don't do as well as we should, and all of the reasons why.

Obviously we are blessed when we are obedient, and it is a worthy challenge to overcome all of our excuses, becoming more obedient. One thing I think is notable however is that at least two battles were avoided completely because of the nephites preparation. When the Lamanites first saw the armored nephites, they ran in fear. Later Moroni fortified a city and when the Lamanites arrived, they "Durst not attack,""therefore they retreated"

What if just because we have food storage, the devourer is rebuked, and we never need to use it.

rain rain go away

The past few weeks have been... frustrating. There have been a lot of little crises, nothing serious enough to be tragic, but enough to be exasperating. And I have felt to complain. I know better. Last weekend we visited my parents, and I heard my dad give a Sunday school lesson.

My dad shared an experience about one of the hardest financial times he and my mom went through. He said how difficult and humiliating it was, but then, after it was (finally) over, how it lead to him getting the job he had for 13 years and the house that I grew up in. That was the life I new in my formative years, and to it I owe who I have become.

A few years ago, I went through a family tragedy that affected me more than I expected. Afterword I struggled in school, and at work, and shortly after marriage I found myself out of school, out of a job, and pretty jaded. It was a really humiliating time for me, and honestly I was scared. However I ended up getting the job I have now, that has given me the opportunity for immense growth and has been one of the best things that has happened to me in my life. I never would have found this job if I had kept working and plugging away at school "like I was supposed to."

Sometimes God takes the helm, and throws the wheel for a few spins... It can feel like we are careening out of control, but he knows what he is doing.

After both our cars breaking in the same week, as the borrowed suburban sputtered to a stop on the side of the freeway (It was only out of gas, and luckily thankfully we were very close to a gas station) I couldn't help think of Job. Not that I compare at all what happened to us to what happened to him, but the problems seemed warrantless, and came so fast and close together it seems impossible it was happenstance. I knew then that I didn't have Job's patience, and I was reminded again how much worse things could be, and how blessed (overall) we really are.

Today, I'm thinking of Joseph in the Old Testament. I'm sure that he felt--or at least he had cause to feel that he had been abandoned. Thrown in a pit the same day that a band of slave traders came by... it was almost like God wanted him to be sold into slavery... Now we have the luxury of knowing the end from the beginning, but I bet it was pretty awful for Joseph at the time.

I do have faith that good can come of this... that God can come of this... I'm afraid I haven't been patient or faithful.

I think the ideal is that we gain so much faith in God, that we will spin off course ourselves. If of course it is the way God intends us to go. I am always amazed at the faith of Moses. He started as a man of great power in Egypt, but he felt inspired to abandon that (in the process burning many bridges that would have been invaluable later in his life). He lowered himself to a slave, then was told to free all of the slaves. He conceivably could have done that while he was in the Pharaoh's favor, but without that power the task seemed herculean. When he finally had freed his people, he was directed to lead a multitude of men, women, children, elderly and all of their cattle and possessions, to flee from an army on chariots. Moses followed God's direction straight to the edge of the sea... with no boats, no retreat, no chance of outrunning or out maneuvering their pursuers. He was a prophet he could have known what God had planned, but I believe that he was like Nephi "Led by the spirit, not knowing beforehand"

I don't think God wanted us chasing down wildlife in the car or anything, but maybe when things start going bad, and I am doing what I am supposed to, instead of saying "Why me" I should say "What am I missing?" and start packing for a trip to the Red Sea.

10 Virgins

A few things about the parable of the ten virgins has always felt a little enigmatic to me. I understand the correlation between oil and spiritual preparedness, but the parable itself seemed to have some incongruities.

While it is clear that faith, testimony and obedience are not things that can be divvied out hap-hazardly, I wondered why in the context of the story the five wise virgins were unable to share their oil with the foolish five. Since the wedding feasts were typically celebrated at night, the guest’s lamps would have provided the lighting for the occasion, and it would be prudent to bring enough oil to last the whole night long. That would then demonstrate the foolish five’s short sightedness. Not only were they unprepared to wait for the bridegroom, but they were entirely unprepared for the wedding itself.

It also seemed harsh that the bridegroom would not open the door for his tardy friends. As I tried to picture myself there, I imagined a dark and empty street contrasted with the light and noise of the marriage. After the guests are in and the door is shut, a group arrives obscured in the shadows and barely audible over the din crying “Lord, open to us” _{–Matthew 25:11} When the groom replies “I know you not” _{–verse 12} He is not denouncing their friendship, but saying, “I don’t know that you are who you say you are. I can’t recognize you in the dark against the noise of the party. I can’t let you in lest you be an enemy” When the Joseph Smith translation uses the phrase, “Ye know me not,” that takes it a step further. “I can’t trust you. If you knew me you would have known to watch for me and been told of my coming, you would have been ready to join the procession and have entered with me.”

If we are to know Christ, to join His entourage and celebrate with Him, we must be prepared. If we are to pass through the gate where He “employeth no servant” _{– 2 Nephi 9:41} we must be able to hold up our light so that He can look into our faces and welcome us with a smile.

Calling

To round up the New Testament class I have been in, I wrote a paper. I used much of the material from this blog in the paper, so I thought it only fair that I use some elements in the paper on the blog.

In the Luke 5 account of the calling of Peter, previously I had focused almost entirely on the story—the prophetic knowledge of the Savior and the over-abundance of fish. This time however I tried to see what Peter saw that led him to follow Christ. Peter had just experienced a long, unfruitful, and probably frustrating day. To add insult to injury, a great deal of work still had to be done although they had worked into the night and caught no fish. While Peter is about this business, which he surely would simply like to quickly finish and leave, a stranger comes and asks him to cease his work, launch his boat, and wait for Him to deliver a sermon. Peter complies. That speaks volumes about the character of Peter and helps me understand part of why Jesus chose him as an apostle and later successor. The rest of the story speaks volumes of Christ.

Helping Jesus seemed the worst thing a fisherman could have done. From a professional standpoint Peter should have quickly finished his work, and retired home to plan for the next day. His time would have been well spent studying charts or the weather, and getting as much rest as possible to start the next day early and with energy. Peter however chose to help another, and for that Jesus blessed him. After Peter had shown that he was willing to sacrifice for his fellow men, after Peter had given of his talents, possessions, and his time (perhaps a tithe of his day) the Savior followed the pattern of the Lord’s promise in Malachi: “prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” _{–Malachi 3:5} Jesus gave Peter the opportunity to prove, to test, the Savior. When Peter exercised his faith in Jesus’ words, (again against ‘professional’ wisdom) Christ gave him a blessing so copious that there literally was not room to receive it all. There were more fish than his, and his partner’s, boats were designed to carry. Then Jesus invited him to leave his prize and follow Him. Peter (and his brother) Straightway left their nets, Forsook all, and followed him.

Peter obviously was capable of seeing things on a higher plane. Peter recognized that what the Savior had to offer was so much more important than the small fortune of fish he had caught, more important than the livelihood that he had chosen for himself and his family, more important than his home, possessions and friendship bonds. I hope that as I come to know Christ, I can see beyond the moment, beyond the fish or wealth or whatever is in front of me, and I can choose the better part like Peter did.

Christ’s method for calling His disciples was simple. There was no pomp or ceremony. Often it was three words of simple invitation, “Come follow me.” Christ did not promise wealth or power, in fact, in this case He did the opposite. He called Peter and John to leave their bounteous catch. Our call to follow Christ will likewise be subtle. Some calls come from private interviews with Priesthood leaders, other calls come as quiet whispers from the spirit calling us to action. Sometimes our invitation will be nothing more than an increased resolve to be righteous, strong and just. It is up to us to follow. We would do well to follow the example of Peter, straightway forsaking all and following Him.

Watch and pray

It surprises me how quickly the suffering in Gethsemane is covered in the gospels. It seems almost before you can begin to ponder the importance it's over and Peter is swinging around that sword. I find myself compelled to read on, I don't know if I just want the end to be over, or if I'm afraid of lingering in the Garden with the suffering Christ.

Jesus' own apostles failed to recognize the importance. Now of course, we see all the signs Jesus gave to them that pointed to his suffering and death. Sometimes it almost seems that the gospel writers emphasize how little the disciples understood. But are we any better? I am guilty of sleeping through scripture study, prayers, church meetings, and other sacred worship meetings. My mind will wander when participating in sacraments.

The atonement has been the subject of countless books, talks, sermons and testimonies. But maybe most importantly, it has been the subject of quiet, intimate, personal worship moments of all true Christians. As relating to the Canon in whole, maybe the Savior wanted the garden to receive a minimal amount of attention. The most sacred experiences we have should be shared sparingly, protected from misuse, and overuse.

Naively I think I expect a deeper discussion, or boldface type, or at least a dedicated chapter to the supernal act that changed the course of all existence.

The unfamiliar and the unbeliever must focus, almost entirely, on Jesus' acts and teachings before they can understand and appreciate what happened on the Mount of Olives. Thankfully the Bible didn't turn out the way I would have written it.


What of the sleeping disciples? How do we open ourselves to temptation when we fail to watch and pray? Wouldn't the disciples have noticed the saviors angst when he spoke to them? At a stone's cast distance, it seems the three chosen apostles would have been able to see the agony, or at least the angel had they been alert. I'm reluctant to believe that the sleep itself is the condemning act (not to excuse myself).

If Christs suffering was infinite and eternal, can't we assume that it extends into each moment, both forward and backward from that night thousands of years ago. Suddenly I imagine the worst moments of my life playing out just yards away from my precious Savior kneeling and begging that I be forgiven for what I am doing. When I let my eyes droop, even though my spirit be willing, if I succumb to the flesh I'm oblivious. Time and time again He comes to me, gently wakes me and asks me to watch just a little longer, and instants later I am back, drowning in my selfish dreams while He goes on without me.

I don't want to be there any more.

Every day it's as if I skim the scriptures and miss the atonement verses, but every day I have the chance to try again. I want to learn to commune, to worship. I want to be able to watch through the hour and see myself as a support to the Savior in His work.

To Stand

Sometimes it seems like being... good or righteous is so hard. It seems like there is a long list of "don't"s that we can't possibly avoid, and a longer list of "do"s that we couldn't even approach accomplishing.

I think some scriptures are there to inspire us with our potential, and some are there to help comfort us in our frailty.

One resonating scripture for me is Ephesians 6.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

To stand. God expects us to battle Satan, in all his forms, but we don't need to make some great showing, we don't need a body count, or proof of ground gained. When it's all done, we just need to be able to stand.

In the story of the prodigal son (sorry to beat this one to death), the Savior says "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found" And that was worthy of joy and merry making. He doesn't say "this my son is successful," or "accomplished." Alive, found. Those are pretty meager qualifications for bringing our father joy.

"Ask," "knock," "open your ears," "come," "follow." He is willing to do all the work. Behold, I will go before you and be your rearward; I will fight your battles. the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand All He requires are things like faith, trust, hope and humility.

Prodigal Son Contd

I mentioned my previous comment (that the prodigal lost any increase to his inheritance) in a class, and it seemed to have been taken as if he lost his exaltation. I don't see it like that, to me what the faithful gained and what the prodigal lost is what the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants calls "the drop." To me, exaltation in this story is analogous to coming home to the father's house, both were home. The calf, the robe and the ring, were all just blessings. In this case temporal, in our case many of them would be spiritual.

CS Lewis said:

A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is... A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. Mere Christianity

I would assume that similarly, greater blessings are allotted to those who withstand temptations.


Another thought came to me during our class discussion when I looked closer at the gifts. The son was destitute, if he couldn't feed himself, he would surely be dressed in rags. His father gave him a cloak and shoes, it was the best cloak, but it was just a cloak. The ring on his finger might not decoration. I don't know much about Jewish history and traditions, but I know in many cultures rings were symbols of the family with crests etc. The father may not have been trying to decorate his son, as much as claim his son. Let the prodigal, and everyone else know, that he would not be received as a mere servant, but he was in fact his father's son and welcome in his house. Since the son was envious of pig feed, he was probably emaciated and malnourished. It may have taken the fatted calf to help restore his son's health.

When we repent, when we turn back to God, even when we are "yet a great way off" He will run to us. He will spiritually cover us, protect us from the rocks and dust and weather we have passed, and will guide us home. He will proudly claim us as His children and he will fill us with the best He has to offer.

It might seem unfair that the newly repented seem to get so much so quickly, just as with the older son. His problem (and our problem) is forgetting our blessings. Elder Holland said,

this dutiful son—and he is wonderfully dutiful—forgets for a moment that he has never had to know filth or despair, fear or self-loathing. He forgets for a moment that every calf on the ranch is already his and so are all the robes in the closet and every ring in the drawer. He forgets for a moment that his faithfulness has been and always will be rewarded.

He hadn't gone naked. His feet hadn't been bruised, torn and battered by walking miles shoeless. He hadn't felt the deep loneliness his brother experienced, not lost his family, friends, wealth and personal identity. While his brother had lost all these things he had been earning more clothes and calves and money and friends.

We might feel a little resentful when someone seems showered in blessings. They may get a close relationship with family members or priesthood leaders. Maybe people go out of their way to befriend them, or they get a calling that we have always wanted. It might seem that they don't deserve the blessings that they are receiving. While it might be true that they didn't work for these blessings, they did pay for the blessings. Pain, sorrow, embarrassments that the faithful, thankfully, don't have to endure.

It usually seems so easy to find things to complain about, but when I really look at my life, I can see that I am blessed so much more than I deserve. Especially when blessings come gradually it can be easy to ignore, forget, or even expect the blessings that we have, so that we don't recognize them as the gifts that they are. Next time I find myself sulking just within earshot of someone else's party, I hope I can quickly check myself and head in singing.

Prodigal Son

First, let's get this one out of the way.

Prodigal:

• extravagant: recklessly wasteful; "prodigal in their expenditures"
• a recklessly extravagant consumer
  wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
• A prodigal person, a spendthrift; wastefully extravagant; someone yielding profusely, lavish; profuse, lavishly abundant
  en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prodigal
• recklessly extravagant: characterized by wasteful expenditure: lavish: yielding abundantly: luxuriant: profuse
  www.terran-associates.com/nz-business-defs.php

(courtesy google definitions)

Something I had never realized, or thought of before, is that that the father says to the older, indignant responsible son "all that I have is thine." (Luke 15:31)

The young reckless son no longer had any claim to his inheritance. Once the prodigal cashed out, 100% of the increase went directly to the other son. Even after the prodigal son returned.

Maybe sin is more costly than we think. Maybe as we turn away from God, we loose countless blessings that are reserved only for the faithful. Previously Jesus had explained how the Angels of God will rejoice over the sinner that repents, but this parable might give the context for the celebration. In the parable they rejoice when the son "repents" but all of the increase is given to the faithful son, and the son who fell away has to start over--alone.

My Doctrine

Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but
his that sent me. ... He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own
glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him

I started this blog a little tongue in cheek, and I really don't mean to be light about the scriptures, my faith (or anyone else's).

Let me start by giving the background as I understand it. The Jews canon was based on the Law and the Prophets. Moses gave the Law and form there, Joshua to Malachi were the words of the prophets. But, if I remember correctly there was a lot of commentary made on the Old Testament, that made up much of the rigid traditions etc, and I assume deliminated the different sects like the Sadducees and Pharisees, formed the basis for the Sanhedrin etc.

That would have been the unofficial divisive and often incorrect part of the then Jewish religion and lifestyle. And would have been the goal of any aspiring Rabbi. When Jesus decried those that advocated their own gospel, I don't think, I hope that my blog would not be part of that group.

A major part of essentially all organized religion, and specifically that established throughout the scriptures emphasize collaborative learning of the gospel. Sunday school, seminaries and institutes, the School of the Prophets, conferences, council meetings etc. Blogging might be a little unorthodox, but I think it is a valid means to share, not my doctrine, but to share my thoughts, my feelings, and my questions on His doctrine.

In trying to decide where the separation line would be, I first tended to think that anything that claimed to be definitive would be at fault. But I believe that many inspired scholars and leaders might have definitive interpretations of the scriptures. So maybe the line is that of stewardship. Someone claiming the final word for a little flock that they are not implicitly called and ordained to lead, might be at risk of proclaiming their own gospel, rather than that of 'Him who sent them'.

My definitely indefinite writings are more for my own benefit than anything else. I put them in a public venue in the hopes that someone might stumble upon them and find something interesting, helpful, amusing, or at least thought provoking. But I do give all the honor, and the credit, to God, the Spirit, and the inspired writers of the things I read. I'm just here for the ride ;)

Only Begotten

Isn't it interesting that Adam isn't considered a begotten son of God?

These stones

Luke 3"God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham"

We talked recently about Jesus walking on the water. Peter did the same and Jesus said that he had little faith. That scripture has haunted me. Honestly I think I am afraid of my potential. If that is a little faith, what could we do if we have... moderate faith, what if we have a lot of faith?

The implications I think are a little frightening.

What this specifically has me thinking about though is control of the elements. One of Jesus' first miracles was to physically, chemically change water to wine. He was able to walk on water, he could have changed stone into bread, God is able to make Jews out of rocks, Moses brought water from stone, parted the Red Sea, changed the Nile's water to blood. Elijah stopped the heavens, and stayed the sun. Faith can move mountains. Literally.

Why? How? Joseph Smith speaking at King Follett's funeral asked those present to pray that the wind would die down so that everyone could hear. "For the effectual prayers of the righteous avail much. There is strength here"

We know that in the "last days" that there will be much physical, elemental destruction. Floods, earthquakes, famines, fires, pestilences. All of these seem to have controlled directly by prophets at some time. Will they all come down upon us because of the general lack of faith. Noah's flood for that matter, came at a time when there was only a handful of people good enough to save.

That brings to mind another question I have had rolling around in my head. As a missionary I memorized Doctrine and Covenants Section 2.

1 Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
2 And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers.
3 If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.

We recited that, and I found myself wondering... "Why" Why would the earth be wasted at his coming if our hearts were not turned to our fathers? Someone suggested that by wasted it meant the earth would not have served its purpose, but the Portuguese translation says destruido--destroyed.

I don't know the answer, but now I wonder, what if the earth would tend naturally towards destruction, what if the only thing holding it together is the faith of the righteous. The spirit of Elijah is powerful, and the Priesthood restored by him more so. Maybe if all that was lacking, on the great and terrible day, there wouldn't be enough faith to keep the earth in tact.

Do we have an obligation to learn to control the elements? Many modern prophets have encouraged us to pray for rain. Lorenzo Snow famously spoke of the correlation between tithes and rain in St. George Utah. Should we be able to "Call down" mild summers? Are natural disasters a sign of a collective lack of faith?

Why was Christ typified by a serpent?

I read a reference about the brazen serpent that moses lifted up. It seemed at first a little odd that the Serpent would be a symbol of Jesus, because it was also a symbol of Satan.

Here are some of my thoughts:

The original serpent was Lucifer, who caused--who brought about the fall.

I think, although I'm not sure, that Brass is symbolic of things telestial… things earthly. Specifically in the temples etc. of the old testament.

So Christ takes on the physical form that Lucifer took when he brought about the fall, made of earthly material. He identified himself with (as) the sinners, and was raised up. All who look to him can be saved. Lucifer's (serpent's) curse was that he would forever go on his belly in the dust. The type of Christ was a flying serpent, able to raise itself out of the dust.

In his life the Savior took the physical appearance of the sinners. He subjected himself to the fall, and wrapped himself in an earthly flesh. He was able to raise himself from the dust, was raised up among sinners as a symbol that can lead us back to salvation.

Temptations

In Jesus' weakest state he was the most tempted.

I have always imagined, and I know it has been depicted that satan physically appeared and conversed with Jesus. But maybe it was just internal. The kind of thoughts that we often have, but Jesus knew, and defined them as temptations from Satan, where we often consider them our own thoughts.

Maybe Jesus saw a stone that looked like a loaf of bread, and knew he could change it to bread and for a moment it was a temptation to him, "I have finished my fast, I could just make that stone some bread."

Maybe after seeing all kingdoms in an instant, he was a little overwhelmed at the prospect of atoning for each person in all the kingdoms, "Do I really have to suffer for all of them?" and for a moment he feared, or at least considered not fulfilling his mission. And in that way would have worshipped Satan, because he did his will instead of God's will. Loving satan more than god.

Perhaps from the top of the temple, he wanted some assurance, some proof that he was being supported, maybe he thought for a moment of asking for a sign. "If I am really meant for all of this, if I really do have control over the angels, they would catch me if I fell"

I doubt that I will ever have Lucifer standing in front of me with a wry smile, telling me to wield unrighteous power, do something selfish, or to expect more of God than I should. But that doesn't mean that he doesn't tempt me. I want to try characterizing any unchristlike thought I have as if it was an external suggestion, and see how that changes my perspective.

How would we recieve Abinadi

Written on mobile phone:

Abinadi's message to the people was compiled to about 12 or 13 verses. The people who heard the message cited 4 verses worth to Noah. It was the most controversial, the most outrageous, and entirely out of context.

Isn't that exactly what "we" have done with Barack Obama's Pastor? What was done with Wikileaks, with the FLDS church?

If nothing else, we live in a time when our society is intolerant enough that Abinadi could come, and we would run to Uncle Sam, or to the general public, to tell all the bad things that Abinadi said.

Abinadi could be accused of being unamerican, or even terroistic. He even could conceivably be condemned for it.

The infant savior as a type of Israel

I was re-reading the account of Luke 2. It is an important part of the scriptures, but so common I wondered what I could get out of it that was new. I did have a few thoughts that I hadn't considered before. (although I am certain someone smarter than me has)

In verse 7 it says that Mary "wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn."

First, swaddling clothes. Infants are born with more freedom than they can handle or find comfortable, so they were put in a type of bondage until they are able to govern themselves.

When Israel was freed from Egypt, they mismanaged their freedom, and felt uncomfortable with their freedom to the point of wanting at times to return to slavery. God gave them the tightly bound law of Moses, until they too were able to govern themselves.

Secondly the manger. Now this might be a bit of a stretch, but Jesus was laid in a vessel prepared for another. He was not in the home of his father, nor was he afforded the temporary lodging (the inn) that was expected.

The people of Israel were taken from the land of their fathers, although they arrived in the land of milk and honey, they were not allowed to stay, but rather made their home in the wilderness, not dissimilar to a large stable, yet God provided for them. Eventually they were given

great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,
And houses full of all
good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not,
vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not;

Why was John "The Beloved"

Have you ever met that person, who almost instantly seems endeared to you? Somone who comes quickly to your mind, or at least to your heart, when you think of a close friend, although you barely know them. I believe that is a Christlike attribute of people.

I think that if we were to meet the Savior, we would feel that--an instant, intimate closeness to him. I think that in the gospel of John, he refers to himself as John the Beloved, because he knew Jesus personally. I think if we were to read the Gospel of Peter, he would refer to himself as Peter the Beloved, I think if you or I were to meet the savior in person, we would forever consider ourselves, at least in relationship to Christ, as The Beloved.

Elijah and the Widow

Written on mobile phone:



When Elijah came to the widow, it was in the middle of a famine. I'm sure that there were a lot of desperate people. Elijah's recommendation sounds unbelievable, but also like a scam to steal food from a gullible woman.


The widow would have had the protective, defensive part of her screaming at her to save herself and her son, hoping that maybe tomorrow things would get better and they might find food. she would have had to overcome all of that to recognize the spirit-the still, small voice telling her that what Elijah said was true.


That is why it is so important to know the spirit. It is good to feel the spirit when we are at church, when we study the scriptures, when we pray. but we have to learn also to hear the spirit in the grocery store, when we are driving or when a stranger asks us to take a risk for ourselves and our loved ones, lest we find ourselves alone with our last meal ready to "eat it and die"