Merry Christmas (2015)

Isaiah 9:6: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

For all that our Savior is in word, deed and character, He truly is Wonderful.  As we strive to heed the words “spoken … by [His] own voice or by the voice of [His] servants” (D&C 1:38), Jesus becomes our Counsellor.  When we contemplate the declaration of Heavenly Father to Moses, “worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten” (Moses 1:33, emphasis added), we understand that our Elder Brother is the mighty God.  Through the Atonement, all of the ordinances of the gospel have been activated and when we are baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost we are spiritually reborn; thus Jesus becomes our everlasting Father as we take His name upon us and become a member of His family of saints.  Finally, Jesus is the Prince of Peace as His amazing grace brings peace to our souls in times of favor and in times of trouble.

Merry Christmas

My Reaction To Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILERS)

This is my immediate reaction to The Force Awakens.  Beware there are SPOILERS of some MAJOR PLOT LINES, but if you haven't seen the movie by now, you're either on a mission or you're not interested! J 

*Whatever the case may be, don’t try to claim I didn’t warn you!*

* * * * *

We saw the new Star Wars movie last night.  Even with all the people who have told me that the movie was good, I still tried to keep a lid on my emotions, but my anticipation had grown with each new positive review.  Now that I’ve had the evening and next day to think about it, I’m ready to give my reaction to what I saw (for what it’s worth). J

Overall, the energy and the pacing of the scenes and the action were definite hallmarks of a J.J. Abrams directed film.  I very much liked the fact that many of the scenes were grounded in the “real world” and not fabricated on a green screen.  This move brought the new trilogy back to its roots as far as its look was concerned.  I’ve mentioned this before, but after going from the grittiness of the first trilogy to the stale, digitized world of the second trilogy, it was nice to have the grittiness back—it made the movie seem so much more grounded in reality.  Yes, I know it's only a movie and it's depicting things that don't happen in our physical world and I know there were scenes in the movie that employed green screen and that CGI characters were used, but I liked the return of real locations as the setting for the action than the heavy reliance on the computer.  The story definitely served as the opening act of the planned 3 parts.  I felt it did a good job of introducing the new characters and reintroducing familiar characters.  I don’t want to discuss every single one of them, but I will touch on a few.

Rey is smart, resourceful and can take care of herself.  She is the one actually attuned to the Force.  From some of the snippets we, the audience, are given concerning her, it appears that Rey was deliberately left on Jakku as though to hide her.  The difference between her and Luke is that she has no one to guide her as she becomes aware of her sensitivity to the Force—but as I’ve thought about this, I can’t help but wonder if she was trained in the Force before being sent to Jakku, but possibly had that training suppressed and is now remembering out of necessity as she gets caught up in the events surrounding her.  Piloting the Millennium Falcon is the first indication I get of this “remembering out of necessity.”  She appears to sense maneuvers and acts on the premonitions she is feeling as she pilots the ship.  At the time, she doesn’t know how she was able to fly the ship the way she did.  Later, when she touches the lightsaber that belonged not only to Luke but to Anakin Skywalker, she feels and hears the history of the weapon as well as moments from her own life and is understandably frightened by it.  The confrontation with Kylo Ren on the Starkiller Base again puts her in a position where she is forced to remember her possible previous training.  What I found interesting is that it wasn't until she calmed herself that she was truly able to use the Force to counteract Ren's mind attack and use a Jedi mind trick on the trooper guarding her.  Why would that be unless this is how she had been taught to use the Force?  The final clue I have for this hypothesis is the lightsaber battle she has with Ren.  How could she defeat him unless she had prior training?  In that one moment when he’s pushing her back toward the fissure and tells her that he can train her in the Force, her eyes open wide and her techniques improve in a way that catches Ren completely off guard.  How could that happen unless what he said somehow awakens skills she already possessed?  When she arrives on the planet where Luke has been hiding and offers him the lightsaber no words pass between them, but I'm already convinced that Rey is Luke's daughter and he’s realizing he can no longer keep from finishing the training he may have already started.  I could be totally reaching with this take, but these are my impressions and reactions.

Finn's character shows that the First Order's practice is to take young children from their families and program them to become fighters.  Finn is someone who has a strong enough inner personality to overcome that conditioning.  He may have a romantic notion concerning Rey, but I think he is also fiercely loyal to those who helped save him.  He told Rey that she is the first person to treat him as an equal, and that made a huge impression on him.  Throughout the movie we see him growing beyond his conditioning as a grunt soldier to someone who is self-aware and gains a strong sense of self-preservation, to someone who then sees beyond self and has a desire to become part of something greater than self.  This aspect really shines through when Finn fights Kylo Ren with a lightsaber to protect Rey after Ren knocks her out with a Force push (all the previews showing Finn holding the lightsaber were red herrings to make us think he had the Force).  It will be interesting to see how his character progresses through the trilogy.

Poe Dameron has a swashbuckling type of attitude in the cockpit of his fighter.  He strikes me as someone who is willing to take risks as long as it doesn't endanger those in his charge, but he is also ready to give his all for the Resistance.  I guess if there was one thing the trailers did give away it was any question that Poe didn’t make it when he and Finn crashed onto Jakku.  Although Finn thought he had been killed, I knew Poe was still alive because I had seen him flying in an X-Wing in the trailers. J

And then there’s Kylo Ren.  His characterization was an interesting choice.  When Darth Vader first appeared on the screen, I could tell that he was a force (no pun intended) to be reckoned with.  Kylo Ren’s first appearance did carry some of that same weight, but as the story progressed, his confidence was shown to be a façade.  If anything, it turns out he's a brat with major anger issues.  Twice during the movie when things didn't go his way he ignites his lightsaber and destroys the room.  From the reaction of other characters during these temper tantrums; it appears they're used to Ren's tantrums.  As the story progressed, it seemed to me that General Hux has more villain qualities even though Ren seems to think it's his destiny to carry on the family bad guy tradition.  Kylo Ren has the Force and can do some impressive things with it (holding that blaster bolt in mid-air, for instance), but I'm not so sure the "resolution" of his daddy issues will totally help him in the way Supreme Leader Snoke seems to think it will.  Maybe; we'll see.

Of course, that comment brings me to Han Solo.  I guess I could say that this movie closes his character arc.  With Disney's acquisition of all things Lucasfilm, they swept away all the previous "expanded universe" stories written over the years and started "fresh" (so to speak).  I've only read the five Timothy Zahn books, so I really don't have much of an idea of the EU story lines.  It appears that part of the new backstory is that Han and Leia got together and had a son they named Ben.  He had a propensity for the Force, but showed signs of liking the dark side more than the light side, so they sent him to Luke to be trained and things didn't go well.  After Ben rejected Luke and went to Snoke, Han and Leia's relationship fell apart as they dealt with the loss in their own way—Han going back to smuggling and Leia leading the Resistance.  During the movie when Snoke told Ren that he needed to kill Han Solo, I immediately knew to prepare myself for Han's eventual death.  Han somewhat plays the role of the teacher to Rey and Finn, but more in a practical way rather in an "open your mind and see the possibilities" way.  When he yelled "Ben!" at Kylo Ren and walked out on the catwalk to face his son, I knew it wouldn't end well for one of my favorite characters of the original trilogy.  When it happened, I wasn't surprised.  Both Han and Leia are shown to be weary.  They've dealt with a lot of loss over the course of the 30 years that have passed since Return of the Jedi, but they do take a moment to remember they had some good moments as well.

Overall, I'd give the movie a solid B+.  I think the thing that bugged me was the sameness of some of the story.  I suppose one could argue this entire movie was a redo of A New Hope.  I’m not going to go that far, but some examples of the similarities are: we're being introduced to new characters, but Rey is living on a desert planet—Jakku instead of Tatooine.  Rey and Finn have to get a droid back to the Resistance fighters—BB-8 instead of R2-D2 (I liked the little beach ball droid).  The older character sacrifices himself to allow his companions a better chance to escape—Han instead of Obi-Wan.  And, finally, the Resistance has to blow up the big, bad technological powerhouse weapon before facing complete obliteration—Starkiller Base instead of the Death Star.  Actually, as far as this last point, I've now see a variation on this theme 4 times in a Star Wars movie (episodes I, IV, VI, and VII).  I think it's time to abandon this plot device.  When the X-Wing pilots and the ground force had 15 minutes to take care of business and get out, I almost started looking to see if Grand Moff Tarkin's ghost was haunting the base's bridge.  There was enough new stories surrounding these familiar themes to allow me to tamp down my disappointment of "going back to the well" in these instances, but it's also the reason why the movie doesn't receive an "A" in my book.  The other thing that slightly bothered me was the whole idea of "Luke is missing!"  It seemed more of a contrivance (an easy plot device) than an actual problem.  I also had to wonder why Luke would leave when the going got rough.  He never struck me as that type of character.  I guess I now understand why Luke isn't shown on the movie poster, but I'm hoping he gets a lot more to do in the next installment (and maybe even explains his actions).  One thing though, if he takes Rey to Dagobah and tries to sit on her shoulder while he puts her through her paces, I'm going to have a difficult time not mentally checking out.

I did like the movie.  If anything, I want to watch it at least one more time in the theater.  Now that I'm more relaxed and (for the most part) happy with what I saw, I think it would be easier to just allow the story to wash over me.  Besides, I always find that I notice more the second time through then the first.

Anniversary Celebration

Usually about a month and a half to two months before our anniversary, Jennifer and I have a conversation that goes something like this. “Have you thought about what we are going to do for our anniversary?”  “I’ve thought about it.”  “Do you have any ideas?”  “Not really, but I’m working on it.”  At that point, I get a look—the patented Jennifer look (it’s true; I’m pretty sure she’s trademarked it and everything J) that says without saying—then you better get on the stick, buddy. J  After that, I put something together and we have a nice time.

This year, I was basically told how things were going to go. J  Last year it was a collaborative effort (she came up with the trip to Forest Lawn, I came up with the jaunt to Griffith Park and, after my first choice for dinner didn’t appeal to either of us, we both picked El Torito).  This year after we had the above conversation, Jennifer came to me about a week later and told me she wanted to go to the Los Angeles Temple, significant because that was where we were sealed, Juniors (a Jewish deli not far from the temple where we had eaten several times back when we came monthly to the LA Temple) and she wanted to see a play (which turned out to be A Christmas Carol).  Actually, I thought it was a nice change of pace.  I didn’t mind at all that Jennifer planned out the whole day; there was no chance for me to screw up our 2oth anniversary celebration. J
 

The drive down to the Los Angeles Temple was uneventful traffic wise.  We had a nice talk as we drove, reminiscing at times, talking about various topics at others.  Before the Redlands Temple was built, LA was our destination each month.  We arrived in time to be able to do some initiatory work before attending an endowment session.  Afterward, we sat quietly in the Celestial Room for about 30 minutes, talking quietly.  We watched a couple who was part of our endowment session group who would be getting married several days later (I talked to the fathers later) and marveled at how young they looked and quietly laughed about how we had once looked that way.  The plan had been to come out of the temple and go to our “proposal tree” to take a picture.  However, even though the day was sunny and nice during our drive to the temple, as we prepared to walk outside, we saw it was raining!  What a bummer.  We hurried to the car and while we were putting our temple bags in the trunk, I accidently banged Jen’s head with the trunk lid (I hadn’t put it up all the way and it slipped from my hand).  Thankfully, I didn't knock her out; I felt bad enough, that would have been mortifying!  The other thing Jennifer wanted to do under our proposal tree was to tell each other how we felt after 20 years.  We decided to do so in the car.  The ambiance wasn’t the same, but the feelings we expressed were.  We had a nice moment.
 

In looking for the address for Junior’s Deli the night before, I found out it is now Lenny’s Deli.  Apparently, Junior’s lost its lease after 52 years back in 2012, but someone new came along and started up the deli again and now it’s called Lenny’s.  I’d say about four or five years have passed since we were last in the deli, but from what we could tell, the menu was pretty much the same.  We were given kosher pickle slices and sauerkraut to start (sweet sauerkraut, eaten in tandem with the pickle it was very good).  I ordered the Emmy (a corned beef and pastrami sandwich) and Jennifer had the Grammy (a corned beef sandwich with Russian dressing).  She actually decided to go with rye bread (I was shocked, she said it was okay, but probably would have liked sour dough bread more J).  We had a nice time there; the food was good, our server was nice; the company was better. J
 

Next, we were ready to go see A Christmas Carol at the Grove Theater Center in Burbank.  Having never been there before, I used Google maps at home to figure out how to get to the theater from Lenny’s before we left that morning.  Unfortunately, we've been having problems with our desktop computer for the last several months and I couldn’t convince the internet to print the map.  I suppose this would have been a good time to have smart rather than dumb phones.  Disgusted, I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down the directions, but in my rush, I missed one important piece of information when I was writing them down.  We got on the 405 freeway, but when we transitioned onto the 101 I followed what I had written and stayed to the left.  However, staying to the left was something we should have done when we were transitioning from the 101 to the 134.  It wasn’t until we had driven about 20 miles and I realized we were heading toward Thousand Oaks that I knew we were not going in the right direction.  Because of the rain, it had taken us almost an hour to get to that point, the play started at 8 and it was now a little after 7.  Thankfully, traffic coming back wasn’t as bad as going forward.  Finding the theater was a bit interesting as well because it is a small theater (maybe 50 seats) tucked away in the middle of a park, but I finally figured out the way to get to the parking lot and we made it with 5 minutes before the show was to start (we were fine, the play began 15 minutes after 8).
 

Seeing this play brought back memories of our first anniversary when Jennifer and I went to the Doolittle Theater and watched Patrick Stewart perform in his one-man play of A Christmas Carol.  That had been an awesome show.  Stewart would alter his voice and posture as he changed from one character to another.  All he had on stage with him was a table, chair and a couple of other small props.  Although the only person on the stage, he was able to give the impression of many people.  It was an amazing performance.  Jennifer was pregnant with Ben at the time and when we finally left the theater and started walking back to the car, I saw a group of people on the sidewalk and heard someone say that Patrick Stewart would be coming out of the theater there.  I asked Jennifer if she wanted to wait to see if maybe we could get Stewart’s autograph; she was willing.  We waited on the sidewalk for about 45 minutes or so.  When he was ready to leave the theater, an assistant or body guard came out and lined those of us waiting into two lines and told us that “Mr. Stewart” would sign autographs for everyone and to remain calm and not crowd or he would leave.  When Stewart came out, however, it became apparent he was not going to sign autographs for each person as he went to one person in the right line and then a person in the left line.  Some people behind Jennifer tried to push forward and they jostled her.  I tried to move her away from them, but, I think, her being jostled plus the fact she was pregnant brought her to Stewart’s attention.  He walked straight to her and asked, “Would you like me to sign your program?”  She replied, “Yes, please,” and she was the last person who received an autograph from him as he got in the back seat of a car that pulled up and was driven away from the group.  The playbill with his autograph is one of our little treasures.
 

This performance of A Christmas Carol had a three-person cast—two men and one woman.  One of the men played Scrooge; the other man and the woman played all the other characters and the narrator (they took turns).  The stage, much like with Stewart’s production, had very few props.  There was a raised, sloping area in the middle of the stage with a table and a few chairs, but nothing else.  The gender of a couple of the characters was changed in order for the actress to play them (for instance: Scrooge’s nephew became his niece J).  The fascinating part of the performances was how the actor and actress helped the audience to “see” each different character.  Although they did modify their voices, as part of their costume they also had long blankets or capes (his was green, hers was red).  With each character, they would wrap their capes around their bodies in different ways; I thought it was a very clever way to do it.  I also loved the way the play ended.  Tiny Tim was not a depicted character and when it came to his final line, it was spoken, very appropriately by Scrooge, “God bless us, every one.”  Both Jennifer and I very much enjoyed the performance and found it to be a fun ending to our celebration.

Twentieth Anniversary

Newly Minted J

Twenty years.  In one way it seems like such a long time and in another only a blip.  I recall a visit from my sister Joanna in the summer of 1994.  She stayed for about a week as I recall.  During that visit she, Jennifer and I went to Sea World together (I still have the keychain with our picture in the little viewfinder; I wish I could retrieve it and post it J).  Later on, before her visit ended, I confided in Joanna and told her that I planned to ask Jennifer to marry me.  I showed Jo the ring I had picked out and told her I didn’t know when it would happen, but I planned to “pop the question” soon.

 

Jump ahead about a month or so (strangely, neither Jen nor I can remember the date—although I think it was in August).  The time had arrived; I could feel it.  After attending Church (Jen was investigating at the time and had started taking the missionary discussions—merely a formality since she had been asking me many questions by then and I had informally taught her many of the principles J), I told her I wanted to visit the Los Angeles Temple.  We had visited several times by then.  The first time I took her to the temple was a significant event.  At the time, she was still in her “don’t talk to me about the Church unless I ask the questions” mode.  We walked the grounds and then I asked her if she would like to go inside the visitor’s center; she said she would.  At the front door, we were met by an inspired sister missionary (I wish I could remember her name) who took her in tow and showed us the video Together Forever and one or two other videos.  But the first one was the one that really touched Jennifer and opened her up to where she began asking questions in earnest.

 

Los Angeles Temple from the Proposal Tree

I had picked out the place for my proposal probably about 9 months to a year earlier.  At that time, I had gone to the LA Temple, but did not go inside.  Instead, I walked the grounds and thought about things.  I ended up sitting on the concrete wall along the walkway below the fountain area on the west side of the temple grounds.  I had a long talk with Heavenly Father there that had put me on the path to prepare me for the moment when my relationship with Jennifer changed from one of friendship to one that considered long term commitment.  At the time, I didn’t know I would be asking her to marry me, but that moment then had led me to this one.  That wall; that specific spot had major significance for me.  But a minor problem arose when I brought Jennifer there.  At that time, there were no shrubs along the top of the wall, the areas surrounding the fountain on the south side were nice, small patches of manicured lawn and another couple was having a picnic on the grass above my “proposal spot.”  I had the ring in my pocket and the question dancing on the tip of my tongue, but I didn’t want an audience.  I figured that the couple’s picnic might have been close to ending, so I led Jennifer down the stairs to that concrete wall, but sat down a little south of where I wanted to ask her my question under the olive tree.  Once there, I started up a conversation with her while I waited for the picnic to end and the other couple to leave.

 

I waited and I waited and I waited some more; but the couple wouldn’t go away!  Good grief! I thought, How long is this picnic going to last?  My natural man wanted to grab pebbles from the planter area and throw them at the couple, but then Jennifer would have thought I’d lost my mind.  I continued to wait.  One hour, two, three—finally, they got up, cleaned up their things and left.  Hooray!  I had been desperately thinking of new topics to keep our conversation going and I think I was close to running out of things to say.  Now, I was very nervous and a bit self-conscious.  I was still going to go through with my plan, but the wait had curled my toes a bit.  When I suggested that we move a bit to the left (in order to be perfectly positioned in the right spot), my voice was in danger of deserting me.  I think I kept up with the conversation topic we were on for a bit longer to see if I could build some momentum and then with a smooth transition (at least I thought so), I plunged into my proposal.

 

Proposal Tree (Wedding Day)

I couldn’t look at Jennifer.  I think if I had, I would have lost my nerve or melted into a puddle of incomprehensible goo at her feet.  As I told her the significance of the spot where we sat, I stared up at the temple (much like I had that night months before).  The sun was just starting to set and I remember the temple turning from white to orange to pink.  When I finally reached the pivotal moment, I was finally able to turn and look Jennifer in the eyes and ask the question.  By then, I think she sensed what was happening.  She was smiling; her eyes glittered in the fading light of the sunset.  After she said “Yes!” we hugged and talked excitedly for about 5 minutes before I realized the ring was still in my pocket.  I must have looked at her sheepishly (because that’s how I felt) and asked, “Would you like to see the ring?”  We were both so clueless and excited that I put it on the wrong hand.  Yeesh.  It’s amazing how dumb I was back then, sometimes I wonder if much has changed (Jennifer says I have, she’s sweet). J

Fast forward 16 months.  In my mind’s eye I can picture myself hurrying to the front doors of that same temple, carrying a temple bag and a tuxedo.  Traffic had caused me to be a bit late.  The marriage ceremony was to take place at 10 in the morning.  I think we were supposed to be there at 8 or 8:30 (memory, I forget exactly when).  As I hustled up to the temple, I thought that my wife to be was waiting for me, wondering why I hadn't shown up.  When I reached the front desk, however, to my astonishment, she’s not there!  Ack!  What’s the deal?  Turns out she forgot her temple recommend (something that will happen three more times during these 20 years) and she’s running later than I am because she had to go back to get it.  What seemed like forever was only a few minutes (she saw me hurrying to the front doors when the car she was in pulled into to the temple parking lot).  Both of us finally present and accounted for, we were soon brought into a beautiful sealing room in the Los Angeles Temple and the words “for time and all eternity” were pronounced over the altar where we knelt across from each other.  I remember seeing the same glitter in her eyes that I noticed when I proposed to her.

 

Twenty years.  I’ve been told many times by many people that I married a very special woman and I totally agree with that assessment; I married up.  She has been so patient with me and has helped me overcome myself in so many ways.  Thankfully, I’ve seen that glitter in her eyes from time to time.  I admit to not being the most romantic person on the planet, but I manage at odd moments.  I am so thankful she said “yes” to me that day back in 1994.  I am grateful she answered affirmatively in the temple when the question was put her 20 years ago in 1995.  I love my wife very much and am so very thankful to have her by my side not just for this life, but forever if I continue to live true to her and the covenants I have made with Father in Heaven. J



Christmas Decorations

Christmas time is here again!  The way time flies for me nowadays is crazy.  It doesn’t seem all that long ago that we were going through the Christmas season last year and here we are again.  I guess the main difference is that this year is different because Ben is in the mission field instead of here with us.  Jennifer bought a few new decorations for this year and I took pictures to share them with Ben, but then began to wonder if they might make him homesick.  I remember my first holiday season in the mission field and I had my moments when I was feeling a little wistful for home.  Sometimes it’s hard to know what to say in letters.  I want to tell Ben about things that are going on, but I don’t want to take his mind away from what he is doing.  I decided to put the question to him about the pictures.  Turns out I needed have worried, Ben’s reply: “Dad I am ok with you sending pictures to me . . . I know without doubt in my mind were I am is where the Lord wants me to be.  I miss you all, but I am not homesick so it’s all good.”  It’s nice to know that he is putting his all into his service.  I know that will be a benefit and a blessing to him.

Actually, Ben helped me to be more participatory at work.  As part of the Christmas decorating contest announced at work, one of my co-workers sent out an email to the rest of us in my division that she was going to hang up a brick wall theme on one of the walls and have a fake fireplace and such and she wanted everyone to decorate a felt stocking that would then be hung (tacked) to the brick wall.  Confession time: I can be a major party pooper, stick-in-the-mud when I put my mind to it.  When this email first went out, I was less than thrilled with the idea and wasn’t inclined to participate.  Thankfully, I was really busy that day and had that as a ready-made excuse if anyone came to my desk to ask if I had decorated my “stocking” yet.  Then I came home that night and found a letter in the mailbox from Ben.  He had written us a letter and sent us copies of some things he had received recently and wanted to share with us.  As Jennifer read his letter and he talked about missionary work and how important it is to share our testimonies with others, I felt a prompting that I should participate in the stocking decoration and I also had a decorating idea come to mind.

The next day, when I had a moment, I picked out a green felt stocking and took it back to my desk.  The idea that had come to me the night before was to use two scriptures (one from the Bible and one from the Book of Mormon) that would express my feelings about this wonderful holiday and my gratitude to the Savior for condescending to be born in mortality (see 1 Nephi 11:16-20).  With this theme in mind, I immediately chose Isaiah 9:6 and used the first portion of the verse: “For unto us a child is born”.  The Book of Mormon verse as a little more difficult in that sense that I only had so much room on the stocking and if I chose a big verse, it wouldn’t fit.  I had to think of something that would be succinct, but also powerful.  I found my thoughts drifting to 3 Nephi chapter 11 which marks the beginning of the Savior’s visit to the people on the American continent.  As I pursed the chapter, I zoomed in on the verse in which Jesus introduces himself to the people after He appears to them: “Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world” (11:10).  I added to pictures I found on the Church website that I felt were appropriate and added the standard Christmas greeting to the toe and viola, I had my stocking.

I didn’t create my stocking to proselytize.  I didn’t expect anyone to come racing to my desk to ask me to “tell them more” about my own faith—and no one has.  Each stocking represented the person who decorated it and I hope that mine serves as a representation of me and who I believe in.  I know I’ve had moments in my work life as well as my public and private life where my actions or words may have made people wonder if my belief is for appearance sake or a truly held conviction.  But I hope that my attempts to make things right after my stumbles have shown the full intent of who the Savior is and what He did on my behalf.  I love the Christmas season.  I am grateful for its reminder of hope and redemption.  Without the birth of the Savior in that lowly stable, I would not have the ability to overcome my mistakes.  Without His condescension to walk among His brothers and sisters and live a sinless life, I would have no hope in returning to my Heavenly Father’s presence.  Why not sum up my feeling of gratitude for Him on a Christmas stocking. J



Missionary Good-byes

Elder Keller (7/26)

One of the unique aspects of the San Bernardino Mission back when I was serving as a missionary was the Farewell Fireside.  I don't know how, why, when or where the idea came from, but it was a part of the mission before I arrived and I'm not sure if these firesides are something that other missions do.  Back then, they were held in the Rialto Stake Center (the mission home was also located in Rialto).  During my time as a missionary, I actually was able to get permission to attend a couple of them (one was when my trainer went home).  I don't know how many missionaries were going home the day it was my turn to participate and bear my testimony and thank those who attended for the help they had given me during my 2 years, but I do recall that the chapel was full and the there were a good many people in the overflow.  Out of the people who were in attendance, there was a small group who came to see me.  It was nice to see familiar faces--some who I hadn't seen for quite a while and to shake their hands and personally thank them for their support.
 

Elder Bowman (7/26)

Nearly 30 years have passed since I stepped off the plane at the Ontario Airport and saw palm trees, smog and densely packed houses (I'll wait until the actual anniversary to tell my tale of that particular day in May), but even though the California San Bernardino Mission no longer exists, the California Rancho Cucamonga Mission still continues the tradition of the missionary farewell fireside.  I've mentioned a few of them in some posts along the way (here and here), but haven't mentioned others, so I wanted to "catch up" on a few that have taken place over the last few months.
 

Elder Porter (10/18)

Before I was called as the ward mission leader, we went on our trip to New Jersey and visited Church history sites on the way home.  I've mentioned it before because it was such a profound moment for the four of us, but during that trip we met Sister West at the Hill Cumorah visitor's center and she, listening to the promptings of the Spirit, told us that we would soon have an opportunity to share the gospel with others.  Interestingly, a few months after we returned home, I happened across a blog from a sister missionary in the New York Rochester Mission and was able, through an email to her, to relay to Sister West the impact her statement had on us as a family and the calling that had come to me upon our return home.  I remember that the sister (Hawkes if memory serves) mentioned in her reply back to me that missionaries rarely heard from people they talked to at the history sites and she appreciated me taking the time to write.
 

Elder Houston (10/18)

I think it's easy to forget the sacrifices the elders and sisters (and their families) are making to come into the mission field to serve the Lord as missionaries.  Maybe with Ben now in Colorado doing that very thing, my heart is a little more attuned to this fact and a little more tender.  In that spirit, I want to say that the elders who served in our ward during the 2 years of my calling were monumental in assisting that prophesy from Sister West come true.  Because of them, not only did we find "someone" to share the gospel with--we met many someones and I know my life has been the better for it.
 

Ben & Elder King (9/6)

Now that these good brothers are returning home after completing honorable missions, we are quite happy to take them up on their invitations to come to their farewells.  Today, we were able to listen to Elder Jones bear his testimony.  He was a "greenie" in our area and was trained by Elder Keller, who returned home back in July.  We missed Elder King's farewell.  It took place the Sunday after we dropped Ben off at the MTC.  We had planned to go, but I think we were still trying to adjust to the fact that Ben was no longer with us and the farewell completely slipped our minds until it was too late.  Interestingly, Elder King (who was also a "greenie" in our ward and was the first transfer after I was called) lives in Arvada, Colorado which is in Ben's mission.  Ben's companion, Elder Morgan, was given permission to go to the Denver Temple to see a convert he had worked with in Arvada take out his endowment and Ben, being his companion, got to go too.  There at the temple, who should Ben meet, but our former Elder King!  So even if we didn't get a chance to see him before he left, Ben got to see him after he returned home. J
 

Elder Jones (11/29)

I am grateful that I was able to work with great missionaries like Elders Keller, Bowman,  King, Porter, Houston (from Austin, Texas J) and Jones.  There have been many more who served in our ward during my time in that calling, but these are some of the elders who have impacted our family and, hopefully, we were able to make their service with us a little better as well.  There are still a few missionaries who continue to serve who were in our ward during my time as ward mission leader.  I hope that we are able to see them before they return home as well.  We are so blessed to have been able to work with all of them during their time in our area. J

Peculiar People

Another verse that came up in both Sunday school and in the Aaronic Priesthood meeting has to do with the Peter’s 1st epistle and the use of the word peculiar.  My post from yesterday became long and I wanted to focus on this word and not tack it on to the bottom of yesterday’s post where it could become a mere footnote. J

 

As President Thomas S. Monson reminded us: “Each of us came to earth having been given the Light of Christ. As we follow the example of the Savior and live as He lived and as He taught, that light will burn within us” (Ensign, Nov. 2015, 86).  Going back briefly to King Benjamin’s recipe for putting off “the natural man” (Mosiah 3:19), as we internalize those six attributes (“submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things”), we allow the Light of Christ to shine in our lives.  In this world of increasing darkness, that light will cause us to stand out more to others, which will cause us to be viewed by others as a “peculiar people” (1 Peter 2:9).  One of the definitions of peculiar is “uncommon” or “unusual”.  We become uncommon or unusual because we are reacting in a way that is not natural to the natural man.

Some people look at our religious peculiarities with disdain, others with indifference, still others with curiosity and a few with a genuine desire to learn more about them.  No matter the reaction of the world, the word peculiar has a greater meaning in a gospel setting.  The footnote for peculiar in 1 Peter 2:9 states that the translation of the Greek word translated in English as peculiar is “purchased” or “preserved”.  Considered in this way, we are purchased through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  Paul taught that we are “bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20).  That price was the Savior taking upon Him our individual sins.  Elder Jeffrey R. Holland explained: “The Savior’s spiritual suffering and the shedding of his innocent blood, so lovingly and freely given, paid the debt for what the scriptures call the ‘original guilt’ of Adam’s transgression (Moses 6:54). Furthermore, Christ suffered for the sins and sorrows and pains of all the rest of the human family, providing remission for all of our sins as well, upon conditions of obedience to the principles and ordinances of the gospel he taught (see 2 Nephi 9:21-23). … What an expensive price and what a merciful purchase” (Ensign, Nov. 1995, 67)!

More importantly, our Elder Brother purchased us that He “might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14, emphasis added).  Just as Adam and Eve’s transgression, and subsequent fall, cut them off from the presence of Heavenly Father, our sins also cause us to spiritually fall from Father’s presence.  Since “no unclean thing can dwell with God” (1 Nephi 10:21), if there was no way to overcome the stain of our sins, life would be bleak indeed.  However the great perspective of the gospel message teaches us that we need not remain in captivity to our sins.  It is possible, as Isaiah declared, to wash scarlet sins “as white as snow” (1:18) and overcome our personal, spiritual falls “by the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 12:11).  Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught: “Among the most significant of Jesus Christ’s descriptive titles is Redeemer. ... The word redeem means to pay off an obligation or a debt. Redeem can also mean to rescue or set free as by paying a ransom” (Ensign, May 2013, 109, emphasis in original).  This is what Jesus did for us through His atoning sacrifice; He became our Redeemer.  He declared to His meridian disciples that He came “not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28, emphasis added).

The footnote for peculiar in 1 Peter 2:9 goes on to state that the definition of the Hebrew word translated as peculiar is “special possession or property.”  If we accept the Savior's offer of redemption from the stains of our sins through baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost, we become part of His family—He becomes our rescuing Father and we take His name upon us and renew that familial relationship with Him each Sunday as we partake of the sacrament.  This is why Elder Dallin H. Oaks testified that “Following Christ is not a casual or occasional practice but a continuous commitment and way of life that applies at all times and in all places” (Ensign, May 2013, 97). 

As we take more fully take upon us Christ's attributes, we become more like Him and we show His “image in [our] countenances” (Alma 5:14) and all of these things work more in tandem in our lives.  As we improve in incorporating the Christ-like attributes listed by King Benjamin, we become a more peculiar people which, in turn, points to our greater reliance on the Lord to preserve us through the purchase or redemption He made for us through His blood.  This allows us to become more like Him and helps us to stay on the “strait and narrow path” (2 Nephi 31:18) when it travels through treacherous areas on our way back to the presence of Father.  If we keep our feet firmly planted on the Rock as we walk along the path, Jesus will preserve us because we have accepted His purchase of us.

We can trust that through the Atonement Jesus “hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows … was wounded for our transgressions, … bruised for our iniquities … and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5).  Elder David A. Bednar testified: “The power of the Atonement makes repentance possible and quells the despair caused by sin; it also strengthens us to see, do, and become good in ways that we could never recognize or accomplish with our limited mortal capacity” (Ensign, May 2015, 47).  Truly, Jesus is our “Redeemer of Israel, … Our King, our Deliv'rer, our all” (“Redeemer of Israel,” Hymns, no. 6) and we are His peculiar people!

Putting off the “Natural Man”

For our Aaronic Priesthood lesson this morning, we took the time to focus on an aspect of King Benjamin’s final address to the Nephite people.  I feel this is a masterful speech designed to bring Benjamin's people to Christ.  As this beloved king works his way toward his ultimate goal, he seeks to help his people understand of how to overcome the “natural” part of themselves and to prepare to “becometh a saint” (Mosiah 3:19).  The “natural man is an enemy to God” because of the stark contrast between what people in “the world” (John 15:19) would deem as important and what God knows is important. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf defined people in the “the natural man” state as those Satan has encouraged to “believe in the fantasy of their own self-importance and invincibility. He tells them they have transcended the ordinary and that because of ability, birthright, or social status, they are set apart from the common measure of all that surrounds them. He leads them to conclude that they are therefore not subject to anyone else’s rules and not to be bothered by anyone else’s problems” (Ensign, Nov. 2011, 20).

To help combat the self-centered tendencies of those who have taken residence in the “great and spacious building” (1 Nephi 8:26), King Benjamin lists six ways in which to “putteth off the natural man”, they include becoming “submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love,” and to be “willing to submit” to the will of the Lord in “all things” (Mosiah 3:19).  In order to incorporate these six attributes, it is important to understand them and we took the time to discuss and define these attributes and their importance.  I have felt impressed to flesh out those definitions for this post.

“Submissive” – The definition offered by Webster's Dictionary for submissive is “willing to obey someone else” (merriam-webster).  In the spiritual context of King Benjamin’s discourse, the “someone else” in this case would be God.  Obedience to Father in Heaven’s commandments is vitally important in this life, yet it is an attribute treated with disdain by the natural man.  Conventional “wisdom” is that God’s commandments are archaic, out of date, and out of touch with modern lifestyles; they stifle personal freedom and are meant only to punish—none of which is true.  Sister Carole M. Stephens explained, “We may feel at times that God’s laws restrict our personal freedom, take from us our agency, and limit our growth. But as we seek for greater understanding, as we allow our Father to teach us, we will begin to see that His laws are a manifestation of His love for us and obedience to His laws is an expression of our love for Him” (Ensign, Nov. 2015, 119).  Our Father in Heaven set out the rules for our return to Him because He knew that these important rules would bring us back to Him.  We weren't sent to earth to go through the motions, check off the boxes and receive a participation trophy at the end of our sojourn; we were sent with the opportunity to work and learn and stretch and change from who we were when we began our journey to someone far better at the end.  To paraphrase C. S. Lewis, God's desire is to remodel us not just into a quaint cottage, but a palace (see Mere Christianity, [1952], 174, first quote).  Through our submissiveness and obedience to His commandments, we allow Father’s Carpenter the opportunity to truly work wonders with the requisite renovations.

“Meek” – The general world view of a person who is meek is someone who is weak (not exactly a complement), but the two words are not synonymous.  Elder Ulisses Soares declared, “Being meek does not mean weakness, but it does mean behaving with goodness and kindness, showing strength, serenity, healthy self-worth, and self-control” (Ensign, Nov. 2013, 9).  Jesus described himself as “meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29), but it is difficult to think of Him as weak or lacking in courage or spirit or strength.  The natural man would claim that individuals with money, possessions, political connections, weapons, or loud, angry voices wield the greatest power, but as President Howard W. Hunter reminded us: “In a world too preoccupied with winning through intimidation and seeking to be number one, no large crowd of folk is standing in line to buy books that call for mere meekness. But the meek shall inherit the earth, a pretty impressive corporate takeover—and done without intimidation! Sooner or later, and we pray sooner than later, everyone will acknowledge that Christ’s way is not only the right way, but ultimately the only way to hope and joy. Every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that gentleness is better than brutality, that kindness is greater than coercion, that the soft voice turneth away wrath. In the end, and sooner than that whenever possible, we must be more like him” (Ensign, May 1993, 64-65, emphasis in original).

“Humble” – The opposite of humility is pride.  President Ezra Taft Benson taught, “Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s” (Ensign, May 1989, 4).  In his competition with God, the natural man tries to remove Him from the equation of his life.  Along with Korihor, the natural man proclaims that men and women prosper “according to [their] genius,” and conquer “according to [their] strength” (Alma 30:17).   This reasoning is becoming more prevalent as we come closer to Christ's Second Coming.  On the other hand, to be humble is to be teachable in the sense that we are prepared and able to accept council and correction from God.  Instead of arguing against Father and His teachings, those who are humble seek to learn His will through the scriptures, the teachings of His mortal servants and the promptings of the Holy Spirit and then to implement His will into their lives.  Viewed in this manner, it may seem to some, as Elder Marlin K. Jensen observed, as “if those seeking to become humble must forever defer to the strongly held opinions and positions of others. Certainly the Savior’s life evidences that true humility is anything but subservience, weakness, or servility” (Ensign, May 2001, 10).  Yet, Jesus consistently deferred to His Father's will (see John 5:19) to the point where the actions of both are completely interconnected.  Humility is an interesting trait in that if we claim its companionship, it has probably never walked with us.  Some mistakenly equate humility to a person wearing sackcloth for clothing, flagellating himself in the middle of a busy intersection.  In the end, as President Uchtdorf taught, humility is not “about beating ourselves up. Humility does not mean convincing ourselves that we are worthless, meaningless, or of little value. ... We don’t discover humility by thinking less of ourselves; we discover humility by thinking less about ourselves” (Ensign, Nov. 2010, 58).

“Patient” – Patience is a virtue which seems to be in short supply as the world bombards us with the instantaneous.  If we want our questions answered immediately, we can ask our phone or some electronic device.  Data plans promise blinding informational speeds.  Directions can be obtained in seconds; downloads in minutes or less.  Pictures can be taken and immediately shared with friends and family.  Snap your fingers and have what you need when you need it.  Having to wait becomes an inconvenience.  To the natural man, patience is not a virtue; it is villain—or a lost soul floating in the midst of a sea of push button satisfaction.  Perhaps King Benjamin stresses the importance of patience as a way of overcoming the natural man because God reminds us that “all things must come to pass in their time” (D&C 64:32).  Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin observed that we “seem to demand what we want right now, regardless of whether we have earned it, whether it would be good for us, or whether it is right” (Ensign, May 1987, 30).  In the economy of God, it is His timing, not ours, that holds sway.  Having a better understanding of things “as they really are” (Jacob 4:13), Father asks us sometimes to wait; to show patience.  The thing we desire may be good, but we may need to work longer and harder for it in order to better appreciate it when we receive it.  Nephi reminds us that we receive our blessings “line upon line, precept upon precept” (2 Nephi 28:30).  We must be careful not to become impatient with God's patience with us, since, as Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained, “it is God’s patient long-suffering which provides us with our chances to improve, affording us urgently needed developmental space or time” (Ensign, May 1990, 33).  Since we need Father's patience in order to return to His presence, we should offer Him our own patience as well.

“Full of love” – One of the hallmarks of a child is his or her capacity to love.  Children are “full of love” and King Benjamin recognized that adults need to hang on to this ability in order to put off the natural man.  When a person is full of love, there are no empty spaces; no place for anger, hate, rage, despair or any other negative feeling which turns us from Father and our Elder Brother.  With a cup full of love, it is easier to see God's love for us; easier to understand that He truly does not leave us alone and helpless in our mortal journey; easier to know that Jesus does walk with us “on [our] right hand and on [our] left,” with His “Spirit ... in [our] hearts, and [His] angels round about ... to bear [us] up” (D&C 84:88).  John, in his first epistle, declared that “God is love” (1 John 4:8).  Our Heavenly Father is the embodiment of love.  One of the manifestations of His love is the creation of this earth and providing His plan for our eternal happiness.  Knowing that we wouldn't live up to His high expectations, He prepared a way for us to overcome our faults and mistakes, our sadness and infirmities.  Jesus Christ and His mission reflect “the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9).  The way that we show our love to Father and our Savior is quite simple: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).  When we place ourselves within this eternal circle of love, we may find that our capacity to love will grow and our cup will be continuously full.

“Willing to Submit” – The first attribute King Benjamin referred to in putting off the natural man was submissive.  The final attribute he lists is being willing to submit “to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us]” (Mosiah 3:19, emphasis added).  Willingness suggests something “done, borne, or accepted by choice or without reluctance” (merriam-webster.com, 3).  In this instance, we are being asked to exercise our moral agency and submit our will to God's will; not an easy thing to do in a world where so many people “are wise in their own eyes” to the point where they “hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves” (Isaiah 5:21; 2 Nephi 9:28).  As in all the previous attributes, Jesus stands as the ultimate example of willingly submitting His will to Father's.  At the critical moment in Gethsemane as He began to feel “sore amazed, and ... very heavy” (Mark 14:33), He set aside His astonishment and declared, “nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt" (Mark 14:36, emphasis added).  His complete giving of self was a total consecration to us, His brothers and sisters.  Taught Elder Maxwell, “We tend to think of consecration only as yielding up, when divinely directed, our material possessions. But ultimate consecration is the yielding up of oneself to God” (Ensign, May 2002, 36).  Jesus had yielded His will to Father throughout His life, making His final, submissive “nevertheless” the culmination of all those other moments.  By doing so, Christ also taught us, as pointed out by Elder Maxwell, that “spiritual submissiveness is not accomplished in an instant, but by the incremental improvements and by the successive use of stepping-stones. Stepping-stones are meant to be taken one at a time anyway” (ibid, 36).  If we truly desire to know Father in Heaven's will for us, being willing to submit to Him is of utmost importance because it “is only by yielding to God that we can begin to realize His will for us” (Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, May 1985, 72).

All of these attributes serve to give us the necessary tools and strength to put off the natural man and truly become a saint.  If we work at obtaining each of these attributes, then their acquisition becomes easier with time.  Since Father also recognizes that we don’t always act saintly, He, through our Savior, offered us the gift of repentance for those times when we don't measure up to our goal.  President Thomas S. Monson taught, “One of God's greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final” (Ensign, May 1987, 68).  This is not to say that Father or our Elder Brother will dismiss our mistakes with a frivolous wave of their hands—we will be required to repent of those moments when we allow our natural man to gain the upper hand—but He doesn't want us to give up the path as soon as we make a mistake either.  For that reason, I echo the words of Elder Dale G. Renlund's assurance, “[God] cares that we keep on trying,” (Ensign, May 2015, 56).  As I can attest from my own journey as a sinner who keeps on trying, striving to become a saint, for all that the goal entails, is so much better than remaining a natural man.