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Obedience
"Efficiency" isn't that important to God
As a software engineer, it's my job to find the optimal way to do things. I'm constantly looking for the most efficient method to sort a list, store stuff in a database, and speed up a program. And once my brain is set to "optimization mode," it's hard to turn it off. For example, recently, as I waited for a temple session to start, I found myself mentally inventing ways to increase the throughput of proxy ordinance work. I came up with a way we could do ten times the number of names per endowment session with just a few minor tweaks and no degradation of the experience. But the Spirit interrupted my silent design session with a gentle rebuke: "This is the Temple. Look around. What gave you the idea that 'efficiency' is what's most important here?" As I pondered this experience later, many stories and insights from ancient and latter-day scripture flooded my mind. What did I learn? That by mortal standards, God operates very inefficiently, because He's working with a completely different set of priorities. Here are several seeming "inefficiencies" I'm grateful for.
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
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.
A new Title of Liberty
It was a time of social and political upheaval. Some of the population claimed they were born with a certain characteristic that the rest of society either ignored or even disparaged. These individuals chose to let this particular characteristic define their identities and soon insisted that the rest of society acknowledge and even celebrate them for this identity. Although it started at the fringes, this radical movement was supported by social and political elites. Soon, the movement grew in volume and popularity until it became inescapably loud. Those who dared to speak against it were labeled and attacked, accused of denying the natural rights of individuals who were "born that way." Eventually, some well-intentioned individuals, dissatisfied with injustices in society, began to support their agenda as well.
The secrets of Godliness
I've heard some members who were born in the Gospel wish that they had been born outside the Church and then converted later in life. These members look back and say, "I wish I could have actually had fun in my youth-- sow my wild oats, carefree, without worrying. Get married, hear the Gospel, join the Church, and then live all the rules after I've really enjoyed life." In the minds of these members, converts get the best of both worlds-- they experience the pleasures of temptation in their youth and then the light of the Gospel once they've had all their fun. The Lord has a strong message for anyone who wishes they could go back in time and "live a little" and repent later.
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.
The easy way and the hard way
This may come as a surprise to many of you, but sometimes my children don't listen. Take bedtime, for instance. At the end of the day, my 4-year-old son and I both know how things are going to end. If my son cooperates when it's "that time," his bedtime will be preceded by playtime, two bedtime stories, and a lullaby. If he throws a tantrum, he will simply be placed in his bed with nothing more than a kiss and a parental pleading for improved behavior the next day. Whether my son chooses to cooperate or not, the end result is the same: he will be in his bed and sleeping. But how pleasant that process will be is up to him. It's his choice-- we can do it the easy way or the hard way.
10 blockers to scripture study
In a previous post, I talked about our responsibility to learn to truly "treasure" the word of God like the Nephites did-- specifically, that we need to do better at prioritizing our study of the Book of Mormon. We need to "level up" our study so that we're not just reading the words on the page like a novel, but truly study and dig deep. This is all easier said than done, of course. Most of us find it really difficult to dig in and "delight" in the Book of Mormon like we ought to. Why is that? I asked my Sunday School class this question recently. They're 16 and 17 years old, so you know they are world-class experts on all the reasons to not do something. They identified 10 obstacles they face when trying to dig deep in the Book of Mormon. Just like the defensive plays in the Super Bowl going on right now, these "blockers" can really get in the way of our scripture study:
Faith to the last second
I am indebted to a wonderful sister in my ward for her testimony today. From the pulpit, she read these words of Nephi, describing his family's efforts to start settling once they landed in the New World:And it came to pass that we did begin to till the earth, and we began to plant seeds; yea, we did put all our seeds into the earth, which we had brought from the land of Jerusalem. -- 1 Ne. 18:24See, if I were Nephi, I would be a little hesitant to plant all my seeds right away, wouldn't you?
The Three Degrees of Scripture Study
The other day as I read in Mormon, I saw some really interesting wording that I thought would make a good blog post. But as I started writing about it, I realized that the only way to see the neat connection I saw was if you read the selection without regard to the verse markings. So I went on a tangent in my original post about how the verse markings can often get into our way. My thoughts and feelings kept flowing and that tangent became this whole post which I'm calling "The Three Degrees of Scripture Study."
Don't try to follow all the Lord's counsel at once
There are many things in our day to day, secular lives that we "ought" to do. Like putting the junk mail in the recycling bin instead of the trash can. Or opting for the salad over the meat lover's pizza. But we often don't do what we know we should. Why? Because we're lazy? Maybe. But I think it's mostly because we see these "suggestions" as optional—like "extra credit" in life. They are something to strive for when time permits, but not something so important we should bend over backward trying to make it work. Trying out all the little "suggestions" in life all at once is impossible, and we know it. So we accept the fact that we simply can't lose 50 pounds and reduce our carbon footprint and double-pay our mortgage and get that promotion and spend more time with family and learn a new language and write that novel all at the same time. Not everything is worth the effort right now. We have to focus on what's most important (provide for our families, etc.) and then decide which "suggestions" we want to focus on with our remaining attention. In other words, when it comes to secular matters, we are realistic and we prioritize. But wait. We are faced with the same deluge of suggestions about the spiritual matters of our lives, too.
The remembrance cycle
I like listening to my dad tell stories from his time in the army. One thing he observed is that the drill sergeants he had were very much like the drill sergeants you see in the movies: insulting, swearing, and strict almost to the point of abusive. And he saw why. Although my dad was a married, returned missionary with 2 kids when he enlisted in the army, the rest of his group were 18 and 19-year old boys. And they acted the part. The primary goal in basic training is to crush you and try and get as much of the silliness and horseplay out of you as possible.
Something's missing
I'm in the middle of the saddest part of the Book of Mormon. Throughout the latter half of 3 Nephi, Christ ushers in a period of peace and national righteousness that gives us modern readers a little preview of the Millenium. Then, 3 Nephi ends, and by the end of the very next chapter, the Nephites are largely corrupt and ripe for their final destruction. No gradual decline this time-- they come out in open rebellion against God, the day of grace is past, and you know this is the end of the end. Each time I read the story of their self-destruction in my studies, it feels more sad and sickening than the last. This time through, I noticed some interesting details from the war accounts from Mormon 2 that I had overlooked before.
It's never just a little
A few particular points of the law In 67 or 66 BC, the Nephites had things pretty good. As far as the military goes, they'd been winning wars left and right. And they didn't even lose a single soldier in the most recent battle. Plus, things were great at home, too. They'd built a lot of cities and there was peace and prosperity in the land:And in these prosperous circumstances were the people of Nephi in the commencement of the twenty and first year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi. And they did prosper exceedingly, and they became exceedingly rich; yea, and they did multiply and wax strong in the land.Nothing could go wrong! I mean, sure, there was a land dispute Moroni had to resolve, but aside from that minor skirmish, everything seemed to be going really well leading up to Alma 51
Exerting ourselves in our might to follow the prophets
Today, my stake joined with 108 other stakes in the Southeastern United States to enjoy a stake conference broadcast from Salt Lake. Apparently, the South is in serious spiritual trouble, because they marshaled the General Authority A-Team. We enjoyed powerhouse talks by Elder Ulisses S. Soares, Sister Neill F. Marriott, Bishop Dean M. Davies, and Elder David A. Bednar. It was a deluge of great teachings—especially Elder Bednar's talk. It's always a blessing to hear counsel from a prophet, seer, and revelator. There was just so much there. I like to think that I follow the prophet and apostles. I'm not part of an apostate group. I don't shout during sustainings. I firmly believe they are the Lord's mouthpieces on the earth and the only ones authorized to receive revelation for the Church and for the earth in general. So, what am I going to do with the prophetic counsel I received today? Maybe I'll smile and nod through the meeting, then go home and promptly forget about it (it is lunchtime, after all). Or maybe I'll even look over my notes this evening as part of my study and laugh again at some of the stories. Or maybe I'll even mention it in our Elders Quorum lesson next week, to show I was really paying attention. I don't think that cuts it.
A New Year's Resolution from Captain Moroni
It's New Years time again. That introspective time where we reflect over the past year and resolve that this year we are surely, most definitely going to start that novel, get that promotion, pay off that credit card, and lose that gut. Oh yeah, and world peace. Like everyone else, I've been thinking about what I want to do this year. But more importantly, what I want to become this year. Something that stuck out to me as I thought about this was a story I read recently from Alma 55.
Spiritual poison
Another war chapter post today. Enjoy! Historical Background It was 62-63 BC. Captain Moroni had received a letter from the evil Ammoron, offering to exchange prisoners. But Moroni rejected Ammoron's offer, deciding instead to try and take his prisoners back by force. He found some Lamanite descendants among his army and sent them to the Lamanite soldiers who were guarding the city where the Nephite prisoners were kept. This envoy, posing as escaped Lamanite prisoners, carried with them a large supply of especially strong Nephite wine. The guards quickly drank themselves into unconsciousness. When they awoke the next morning, the Nephites had armed all the prisoners within the city and surrounded the Lamanites without. Surrounded by their enemies and reeling from a massive hangover, "in these circumstances [the Lamanites] found that it was not expedient that they should fight with the Nephites."
Lessons on revelation from the five Nephite runners
Who were the Nephite runners? Remember that time the Nephite chief judge was murdered? No, I'm not talking about the murder of chief judge Pahoran. Or his brother Pacumeni. Or Cezoram. Or Cezoram's son. Or Lachoneus. I'm talking about Seezoram.
Easier to maintain than to fix
When I was a teenager, my household chore was the burdensome task of cleaning the "tile area" of the house. This included the entire kitchen, the dishes, the bar area, the dining room, the table, and setting/clearing meals. The rule was that my chores were to be completed to perfection every morning before I left for seminary and school. My mother would inspect them in the morning when she woke up, and if it was lacking, I would be pulled out of school unexcused to complete the job. The repercussions of a job not done terrified me. So I stayed awake cleaning my assigned areas each weeknight for an hour or two (depending on how much mess had accumulated). Every night, I would be surprised and annoyed to see how quickly our family of six (including four boys) turned my spotless assignment into a nightmare of a mess. But by the time I went to bed each night that year, the entirety of my assignment was ready for a showroom. I learned several lessons from this assignment:
Why we bridle
The other day I read this verse from Alma the Younger to his son Shiblon:Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions... -- Alma 38:12I think this is one of the most oft-quoted verses in all the Book of Mormon, usually in a lesson targeted to young men and young women (you know the one I'm talking about). But what stuck out to me this last time through is the rest of the verse:See that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love.
Not to trifle with the words
Shortly before his death, the righteous prophet/king Benjamin gathered together all his people to give them the instructions he had received from God. As I read through the account of this Nephite General Conference, I was impressed by the similarities to our own General Conference.
Liberty which binds us
Yet another post about the battle of Captain Moroni v. Zerahemnah and friends. I can't seem to get out of these two chapters. I'm beginning to think I should have called this blog "Power in Alma 44." Anyways, here's the verse that caught my attention:And now, Zerahemnah, I command you, in the name of that all-powerful God, who has strengthened our arms that we have gained power over you, by our faith, by our religion, and by our rites of worship, and by our church, and by the sacred support which we owe to our wives and our children, by that liberty which binds us to our lands and our country; yea, and also by the maintenance of the sacred word of God, to which we owe all our happiness; and by all that is most dear unto us -- Alma 44:5
Finding the Atonement in a war chapter
I know most readers usually breeze through the war chapters, but there is a lot we can learn from them. For example, just the other day I found some really powerful lessons on the Atonement in Alma 44-- the second chapter of Moroni's battle with Zerahemnah and the Lamanites. First, let's recap what's going on:
To which we owe all our happiness
In a previous post, I talk about how one's word was paramount to the Nephites, using the battle of Moroni v Zerahemnah in Alma 44 as an example. This post also covers a lesson I've picked up from that battle.