Showing Posts From
Covenants
Popsicle sticks and the Atonement of Jesus Christ
Thirty minutes had passed and most of the missionaries were back in the chapel. But not my companion. Forty minutes and a few more stragglers came in. But not my companion. Fifty minutes and the APs started us singing hymns and bearing testimonies to pass the time, but my mission president and my companion were still absent. I started getting nervous. Finally, after a full hour had passed, my companion came back into the chapel alone, and our mission president hurried to the stand to continue the meeting. I didn't ask my companion what happened; when we wrapped up the day, he told me himself. And what he said changed my understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ forever.
You're not ready for Zion if you won't even clean the building
On June 5, 1976, Idaho's Teton Dam broke, sending a massive wall of water fifteen feet high over the valley below. The 80 million gallons of water that rushed over Sugar City and Rexburg carried away houses, demolished businesses, and covered the whole community in a thick layer of rancid muck. Pres. Henry B. Eyring, then president of Ricks College (now BYU-I) noticed that some individuals went to work and became heroes to their fellow men, while others ran from every opportunity to serve, betraying their wards, quorums, and even their own family members to the disaster. Being an analytical businessman, Pres. Eyring performed "a small but scientifically significant study" into why some people rose up while others ran away. What he found was very interesting
30 years and I'm just now learning this?
I have a confession to make. Most people don't know this about me, but I sometimes—even often—get bored at church and zone out. Shocker, I know. But it's not often that we learn something new about the core of the Gospel, right? Don't get me wrong, the principles of the Gospel never stop being interesting and wonderful, but sometime after the 40th lesson on a subject, it starts to feel just a little stale. That's why I get really excited when I do learn something new about the principles of the Gospel.
Thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin
Today's post has been weighing on my mind for a while. Several scriptures, thoughts, and connections have come to me recently. But I don't have a neat way to tie them all together. So, ready or not, I'm just going to share them with you, stream of consciousness, and hope you get the gist.
When God redirects us
The converts of Ammon never cease to amaze me. These remarkable individuals, who "never did fall away," exemplified quiet yet determined discipleship. When the Lamanite armies came to exterminate them, they did the unexpected.
Fleeing Babylon (without going anywhere)
Right now in Come, Follow Me, we are studying the journeys of Abraham and his family. His people, including his father, had turned from the Lord to serve other gods, even going so far as to sacrifice innocent children to their false gods. Soon, the sacrificial knife turned on Abraham himself. When God intervened, what was Abraham told to do? Get out of Dodge, of course!
Lord's Supper, party of one
Sacrament meetings are usually hectic for me. With three kids five and under, there's little opportunity for reverent reflection. Even when I do get a respite from the craziness, I find myself thinking more about the people I need to reach out to and the lessons I need to figure out than pondering on the words of the Sacramental prayers. But a few weeks ago, that all changed, and I had the best Sacrament experience I can remember.
Letting God Prevail over Politics
An online forum asked Church members if the Church endorsed Republicans or Democrats. One member's highly-voted answer essentially said:The Church stays out of politics. But when you look at our faith's teachings about family values, sexual morality, drugs, and self-reliance, it's no surprise that, in my experience, most Church members are Republicans like me.Another highly voted answer showed a different perspective. Something like:The Church stays out of politics. But when you look at our faith's teachings about the freedom to choose, equality, and generous welfare programs, it's no surprise that in my experience, most Church members are Democrats like me.These two members obviously had very different experiences with politics and the Gospel. But they both highlight critical principles about the intersection of faith and politics that we need to learn and apply if our country and our Church membership are to remain intact.
Trials that harden, trials that soften
2020 wasn't the dumpster fire everyone makes it out to be, but it has been a roller coaster year. COVID, lockdowns and their religious liberty concerns, and the most contentious election of my lifetime. Thankfully, my ward has been less affected than many. Very few members got sick and no one died. Most members were able to work remotely. Our state eased restrictions earlier than others, allowing us to resume in-person Church meetings with proper safety measures after just a few months. On the political front, our members have largely refrained from "political statements and unkind references in our Church meetings" (so far). We are truly very blessed, and things seem to be returning to at least a semblance of normalcy. However, in my ward and thousands of wards like it, we are noticing that while circumstances are returning to normal, we as a people are very different from how we were one year ago. And in some ways, that scares us.
When you have every advantage
These are a few of my thoughts as I read the story of Lehonti's people in Alma 47. Historical background After failing to be elected king over the Nephites, the evil Amalickiah deserted over to the Lamanites. He immediately gained a position of prominence and trust at the Lamanite king's side, then quickly convinced the king that they should all go to war with the Nephites. Fortunately, some of the Lamanites were smart enough to remember back perhaps 2 years ago to the last time they tried to invade the Nephites under the command of a crown-seeking Nephite dissenter (Zerahemnah). In fact, it's possible they were among the Lamanite soldiers who, 4 chapters before, had made a covenant never to come against the Nephites to war again. So, they refused the king's command for war. These soldiers gathered together to fight against king's command to go to war against the Nephites. I want to pause here and make the application to us.
The weight of a word
And it came to pass that Moroni caused that the work of death should cease again among the people. And he took the weapons of war from the Lamanites; and after they had entered into a covenant with him of peace they were suffered to depart into the wilderness. -- Alma 44:20Let's play pretend and put ourselves in the Nephites' shoes and "liken" it unto us. Suppose that an army of our nation's enemies invaded us. ISIS has entered US soil and started butchering our citizens. Even though we were greatly outnumbered (43:21), our armies relied on the strength of the Lord and somehow prevailed. Here is our chance to wipe out an enormous army bent on our annihilation. At the peak of our victory, when the enemy is down, our captain stops the fighting to offer them a chance to basically promise that they won't fight again and they can get away for free. When I read this, I am struck by the fact that promises are a really big deal to the Nephites. Captain Moroni is willing to let an entire army of bloodthirsty enemies who attacked them leave on nothing but their word.