The beehive 

We moved from the cowboy or equality state to the beehive state a number of years ago. The reason for the appellation of beehive is that this symbolizes industry. The saints for the most part have been known as an industrious people. Your ancestors were part of a group of people who came here to turn the desert into a fruitful field. 

My concern is that there is a spirit of indolence that is prevalent among the people here in our nation today. The church teaches the following: independence, industry and thrift. [1]

These are the qualities that we should have and be guidelines for our life   

Some people expect that if they get into trouble they anticipate others to bail them out. They want others to pay for the consequences of their action or inaction. 

I am not referring to natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes. I am referring to things such as the results of poor planning on our part, unwise management of our resources, or not preparing for obvious things that occur in everyone's lives. These can be as devastating to us and our well being as natural disasters. 

Independence 

As much as possible we should be independent. We should not rely on the government or the state to take care of our problems.  If we do, we become subservient and beholden to an outside influence. It makes us so that we expect things that we have not earned. 

There are those that turn to the church for assistance. The first principle of priesthood correlation is that the individual and the family do everything in the church. Thus if we have needs that are necessary that we cannot meet we should turn to the family first for our support. 

Industry 

We used to sing, "The world has no use for a drone. " This referred to the beehive and the fact that there were worker bees that gathered the honey and the drones that just stayed in the hive and did nothing. 

Sitting around playing video games and watching TV all day is either done out of idleness or is excessive indulgence. We are expected to make good use of the time we are given here on earth. We are to learn about everything. We should be active every day of our life. We should try to learn something new every day. Unless we are disabled we need to be productive at least a third of the time. 

Thrift 

"A penny saved is a penny earned." Frugality is not practiced by the majority of people. We do not need to be penurious. We do have to realize that we will be held accountable for the goods that have been placed at our disposal. " Waste not, want not. Is the maxim that we preach." [2]

Every person should be able to manage both their time and their money. They should have a years supply of money in reserve. Obviously this cannot be accomplished when we first start out, but if we don't have a plan in place to achieve that, we will always be behind the eight ball. 

The missionaries are taught to plan their day to make the best use of their resources. Some do not follow through after they are released. 

So my grandchildren remember independence, industry and thrift and strive to live in accordance to these eternal principles. 

Love,

Grandpa

---

[1] One of President Heber J. Grant's greatest legacies as president is the church's welfare program, which he instituted in 1936: "our primary purpose was to set up, insofar as it might be possible, a system under which the curse of idleness would be done away with, the evils of a dole abolished, and independence, industry, thrift and self-respect be once more established amongst our people. The aim of the Church is to help the people help themselves."

[2] Wise use of one's resources will keep one from poverty. For example, I just hate to throw out good food—waste not, want not. This proverbial saying was first recorded in 1772 but had an earlier, even more alliterative version, willful waste makes woeful want (1576). Also at this Link for the words to the song.

Calling from the Lord

We recently got a new stake president and in the near future we will get a new president of the church and a new member of the council of the twelve.  I thought this might be an appropriate post to my blog.
 
This is a talk that I prepared to give if I was asked to speak when Bishop Enos was sustained and Bishop Larsen was released and as I was serving in the bishopric I was released as well. I was not asked to speak, but I thought that it might be of interest to my posterity and thus it is included in my writings. It was originally in outline form, but I have written it as I probably would have given it.

Doctrine and Covenants Section 4 states that Faith, Hope, Charity and Love  with an eye single to the glory of God are the qualifications for service in the kingdom of our Father.

The calls to serve come from the Lord and are given to his servants at his discretion. They do not always come at our convenience or when we think they ought to come.

There was not long ago a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Every one thought that at the upcoming general conference that the vacancy would be filled, but the conference came and went and no replacement was chosen to fill the vacancy. I know
that some people were disappointed, and some did not understand why the vacancy was not filled, as if it were a mechanical thing and had nothing to do with the Lord. We have to wait upon the Lord. He it is that gives the direction. He also determines the time. At the appropriate time the vacancy was filled.

When we moved to California, the bishop of the Hanford ward needed a secretary of the Adult Aaronic Priesthood. As he and his counselors pondered and prayed about whom to choose they could not come up with anyone to fill the position. One of the  counselors said, "We have to fill this position." The bishop answered him that they would have to
wait, because the Lord was sending him and he hadn't gotten there yet.

When I was stake president I went to Thermopolis to choose a Bishop to replace Bishop Chadwick who was put on the high council. When I interviewed the priesthood I was impressed that brother Williamson would be the bishop of that ward. The interviews were concluded and the Lord indicated that Bishop Johanneson would be called to serve at that time. It was not long until he left and Bishop Williamson was called to serve. The Lord knows the timing and the reasons. As his servants we may or may not be privy to his agenda.

How calls come.

It is often very obvious who will be the new bishop. Occasionally the person who is called is entirely unexpected by the congregation. I have often heard people say; "I hadn't even considered him for the position." They may not have, but the Lord did.

Remember that the Lord prepares his servants.

The story is told of the need to call the first president of the Logan temple. President John Taylor met with his counselors and the twelve and after their deliberations they came up with a list of names. President Taylor went to the temple to inquire of the Lord who he had chosen to be the temple president. The prayer went something like this. "Lord, show thy servant whom thou has chosen to be the temple president of the Logan temple." The answer came back, "My servant Marriner W. Merrill." President Taylor responded. “Whom didst Thou say Lord?" The answer came, "My servant Marriner W. Merrill." His name was not on the list that president Taylor had. President Merrill was chosen and later served as a member of the Council of the Twelve.

The priesthood leader is responsible for the call. 

You may ask if he doesn't get the inspiration and still issues the call is the call from the Lord? Is the call valid? We must understand that the Lord issues the priesthood to man to act in His stead. With this power and authority also comes responsibility. The Lord holds his agents responsible for their actions. The call by his servants is upheld by the Lord, even if they do not receive the inspiration to extend it, but the Lord holds the priesthood officer responsible for anything that he does.

I once was asked by an elders quorum president for a certain man to be his counselor. I went to the brother’s house to extend to him the call to serve. As I entered the house his wife came in and sat down even though I had asked to speak to him personally. We visited for a while and I thought, "How can I interview this brother and extend to him the call when his wife won't leave?" As I was thus in thought I asked him, "Who do you know that has clerical experience?" He gave me the name of a person that I would not have thought of. We had been praying to ask the Lord who we should call to serve as stake clerk and had not been successful. The elder whose name had been mentioned had a very active wife and family, but he was marginally so and I would have not considered him. I discussed it with my counselors and the high council and then extended to him the
call to serve. He refused to accept and so someone else was chosen in his place. The story does not end here.

Some time later, it was brought to my attention that this elder was having an extramarital affair. He was not too discreet about it and the non-member employer of the young woman involved brought it to my attention. As I look back on the situation I  became aware that the Lord knew about this elder and his problems and had me extend the call at
a time when he needed to be active in the church to avoid the temptations which came into his life afterward. Had he accepted the call we may have saved him and his family much sorrow. And thus we see that calls that come from the Lord are not necessarily given just to fill a position in the church, but are given for the blessing and benefit of the
individual, their families and the people they are called to serve. I have often quoted President Spencer W. Kimball who said that a call to serve is a call to repentance. What one does with the call is up to them.

What is our responsibility in the call? 

Our responsibility is to pray and to receive our own
confirmation of the spirit. We need and are entitled to revelation. It is a shame that we do not avail ourselves of the opportunity of receiving that witness of the spirit that we are entitled to. We may have our faith tried by the call. I often told my counselors that I was sure that my call to the stake presidency was a trial for some of the saints of the stake and some never did get a spiritual confirmation of it. We are as entitled to receive the witness of the spirit of the divinity of the call of someone else or ourselves as is the person who does the calling.

Faith:

The Lord has said that he would try the faith of his people. A faithless people will not keep the commandants. They will murmur and look to other gods and stray from the Lord. It takes faith to follow the prophets and to follow a bishop who we know and have seen. "Is this not the carpenters son?", they say. It takes little faith to sustain someone
we really admire. It takes more faith to sustain and support someone who has not tickled our fancy.

One day some time ago I was holding a personal stewardship interview with a good sister who was an auxiliary president. During the interview she asked me if I really meant what I said when I set her apart. I asked her what she meant. She said, "Do you always say that to all the people that you set apart?" I said I didn't know what she was referring to.
She then said that when I set her apart I told her that her sins were forgiven her. I certainly didn't remember saying that, but I do not doubt that I did say it. I never really remember what I say in a blessing. I try to give the instruction as it is given to me by the spirit. She then told me this story.

She was raised in the home of Heber J. Grant and knew the gospel and was acquainted with the order of the church. She grew up and got married and moved to Wyoming. As a young mother with small children she felt overwhelmed when she was asked by the bishop to serve as a leader. She told him that she couldn't accept the call. She later moved to our stake and served in various capacities in the ward and in the stake and then she was called to be the president of the stake auxiliary. When she received the blessing given as she was set apart, she went home and cried. She had been concerned all those
years that the Lord and not forgiven her for refusing the call she had received.

Sometimes we do not know what to do when we receive calls from the bishop or the stake president. We may not feel qualified, we may feel overwhelmed,

 we may not feel worthy, or we may not like the calling we have received. May I offer a suggestion?

Express your concerns to the person that extends the call. Let him take it to the Lord. Then you pray to receive a confirmation. If the presiding officer feels that you still should receive the call accept it with faith. You may not receive a confirmation by the
spirit until after the trial of your faith, but I can assure you that a loving Father in Heaven will not let your petitions go unanswered. Whom the Lord calls he qualifies.

Agency

I must tell you that the Lord respects our agency. We may accept calls from the Lord or we may not. He only has our interest at heart. Brigham Young's brother was called by the prophet Joseph Smith to serve on the first high council of the restored church. He felt inadequate and decline to accept the call. The prophet urged him to accept but he would not. He felt that he was not qualified to fill that prestigious a position. I have read his account of that incident. He stated that later as he understood the gospel more he felt sorry that he had not followed the prophet’s advice. He said that the prophet never issued him a call to serve again. Although he served in many positions of leadership after the prophet died he never did overcome the feeling of remorse. As it turned out if he had accepted the call he may well have been a member of the Twelve when he died.

We do not know what the Lord has for us to do. We seek not for position but for service. I have called many men to serve in the service of the Lord. I have called a number of men to serve as bishops in this stake. I can assure you that there have not been many who have been called to serve as bishop who have not felt overwhelmed by the call and would
gladly have had someone else fill the position.

At times when we sustain a new bishop it is a good time to raise our hand to the square in the sign of covenant and rededicate ourselves to the service of the Lord and covenant with the Lord to sustain his anointed. I hope that we may in soberness realize what is going on here today and give the leadership of the ward, the stake, and the church the benefit of our prayers for them daily. That they may guide and direct us according to the will of the Lord. If we unite in prayer on a regular basis, the Lord will not let us be led astray and we will be strengthened in our testimonies of the Lord Jesus Christ. As one who has carried the burden of leadership in the past, I can say that you will never know how lonely and insecure that position can be without the sustaining prayers of the saints.

Three Fold Mission of the Church

In the latter days the church is crystallizing its doctrine not changing it, but making it more understandable.  (This was written probably in the mid-1980s)

The threefold mission of the Church is to;

One, Proclaim the Gospel.

Two, Perfect the saints and

Three, Redeem the dead.

Proclaiming the Gospel

I want to approach this in the light that may be different than one might usually think of. The first things that impress me about the Savior's instruction on the subject are these.

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore and teach all nations and baptize.

Mark 16 Go ye and preach to every creature.

John 21:17 Feed my sheep

The Gospel was to be an individual-to-individual effort.  This occurs in ways that we may not think of.

The raising of the family in the Gospel.

We teach and are instrumental in the conversion of our families.  We are called on a mission before this life to labor with those who come within the walls of our own home.  This is a mission, which is not only implicit, but it is real. D&C 68:25

President David O. McKay is quoted as saying, “No other success can compensate for failure in the home.”

This mission like any other mission has its challenges.  There may be doors slammed in our faces.  There may be indifference.  Just because the souls are born into our family does not mean that they have no agency to choose which path they follow and what they believe.  This mission is as real as any that any young Elder is called to serve by the Prophet today.  We make the latter seemed more important because of the interviews and the farewells, the setting aparts, the MTC, and the learning and preparing, but it has closer eternal consequences to us than that which is spanned by the 1 1/2 to 2 years of a person’s life on a ‘formal mission’.  The time for teaching is prolonged in the family experience to about 18 years and then we must emulate the Prophet Joseph’s statement and let them govern themselves.

My experience with my two missions as noted above may serve as a comparison.  I was able to teach two older Germans who were sisters and baptized them in the Grünewald Lake in Berlin. Later that year I baptized two sisters and another lady in the Havel River in Berlin.  To my knowledge none of these people are active in the church today.  I have taught the Gospel to, and baptized eight children and to my knowledge they all are active in the church today.

Two of my children have served missions and taught the Gospel.  One is going and three are yet to go.  This is good and must be done so the Gospel may spread.  But that is not the end of the influence because I have two married children who will teach the Gospel to my five grandchildren.  I consider my missionary success with my family to be far more successful than my mission success on my formal mission.  But that really doesn't count because He who called me to both of these missions is the judge.

We now have 33,000 missionaries in the field, probably more than any other religion.  The average cost is $325 per month per missionary at a cost of $10.7 million a month or $128.4 million per year.

We don't have mass media blasting away at people or hold mass conversion meetings where we ask people to come and confess Jesus.  It is done quietly and without fanfare on an individual basis.  We reserve the tumult for the Lord when he comes.

Perfect the Saints

Satan is more rampant as righteousness increases.  Every time a temple is built all the bells and hell will ring.  There is a lot of ringing in Hell lately.  Satan and his angels are awake.  Recent experience shows that when a person is alone he is more vulnerable.  Satan's plan is to isolate by;

1. Breaking families
2. Breaking down individual friendships
3. Distrust
4. Strife
5. Contention
6. Offense
7. Hurt feelings

The Lord's plan is to;

1. Unite families forever
2. Trust
3. Love
4. Amicability
5. Return to the Lord and be comforted
6. Be not weary in well doing

D&C 64:33 Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.

and 84:80  And any man that shall go and preach this gospel of the kingdom, and fail not to continue faithful in all things, shall not be weary in mind, neither darkened, neither in body, limb, nor joint; and a hair of his head shall not fall to the ground unnoticed. And they shall not go hungry, neither athirst.

Redeem the dead

This is a topic for another letter

Truth or consequences

When I was growing up, radio was the chief form of home entertainment. We did not have television. They had a radio program called truth or consequences. You can read about it Here.

The laws of the universe are built on actions and reactions, in other words actions and consequences. Every thing we do has a built in consequence. If we are carrying a box and let go of it, it will drop. We call this the law of gravity. Some actions have consequences that are not so immediate. As an example your great grandfather Wright Clark smoked cigarettes almost all of his life. He died of lung cancer. So the consequence took a long time to manifest itself.

He did not realize when he started that there would be unwelcome consequences to his actions.

If you pay attention to most video games it doesn't take you long to realize that even the slightest mistake will cause undesirable consequences.

Yet we blithely go about life doing things without realizing that there will be consequences. Most of the results do not come immediately and often are masked by immediate rewards to our senses. That is what is so difficult about this life. We always reap the consequences of our actions. To give you a homely saying about this scenario," The wheels of the Gods grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine".

A quote from Shakespeare memorized from my high school days seems appropriate to quote at this time. It is often referred to as Polonius' advice to Laertes.

"This above all, to thine own self be true. And it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man. "

We cannot always see down the road far enough to determine the outcome of what we do. There are, however, guides for us on the road of life. Our Father in Heaven knows the end from the beginning and has provided a road map for us to follow. It is called the gospel of Jesus Christ or the iron rod.

In addition there are people who have traveled the road of life and have, by their experience, been able to determine what will happen to some people who do stupid things. They may not know everything, but do not discount the wisdom of the aged.

Truth, wherever it is found, will always lead to a desirable outcome.

As the radio host would say at the end of the program, "May all your consequences be happy ones."

The law of the knock

This was written in 1970 and I found it in my archives.  I thought it might help one of you, my grandchildren.

The world is governed by laws of all kinds.  Some are long acting and difficult to overcome, such as the law of gravity.  Others are in force only for a short time and are of limited scope.  Knowledge of the laws that govern us, help us to progress.

One law, which is little understood, is the law of the knock.  This law was stated by the Lord thus: ”Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.  For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. (LUKE 11:9-10)

This makes it plain that much responsibility rests upon each of us to seek that which is best for us and for those around us.

We know that effort is required for the accomplishment of all worthwhile endeavors.  The Lord will not usually voluntarily give us all the things we need unless we ask for them.  This is why earnest prayer is of great importance in obtaining blessings from God.  This is why knowledge comes only to those who diligently study and seek it.  It does not come from passively sleeping on a pile of books.  Joseph Smith did not translate the gold plates through mere prayer.  The Lord inspired him to translate only after he had carefully studied it out in his mind.  Think where we would be today if the boy prophet had not used the law of the knock and gone into the sacred grove to pray!

Together with our own sincere best efforts to accomplish our tasks we must employ the law of the knock and trust that the Lord will indeed do as he says he will—give” to all men liberally…”

Prayer is essential for our spiritual and temporal well being.  Do it at least morning and evening.

Love,

Grandpa

Offense

One of my favorite quotes from Brigham Young is, " He who takes offense when no offense was intended is a fool. He who takes offense when offense was intended is probably a fool."

We will not get through this life without being given cause to be offended at some point. It is then up to us how we respond. We can let our pride and self-importance get in the way of how we feel. Or we can be like the duck and let the water just fall off our back. 

We have better things to do in this life than to let some remark or slight hurt our feelings. 

Christ was and is to be our example. He said that there must needs be offenses, but WO unto those by whom they come. Let the Lord take care of the problem. 

Today we as a people make other people offenders for a word. Just listen to the news or read the newspapers and note how people are criticizing each other and pointing out their mistakes or disparaging them for their position or actions. We may not agree but that is no reason for us to get bent out of shape. 

We claim to be a Christian nation, but do not follow what I learned was the "Golden Rule".  Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you. 

Then when things do not suit one they protest and riot. This is hardly an example of Christ's example or teachings. 

Our response should be, "Let the Lord judge between thee and me and reward thee according to thy works." 

If we have differences of opinion we do as the Lord instructs. We discuss the matter in private with the person and use gentleness, meekness and unfeigned love. 

The scriptures inform us that contention is of the devil. Why be in his camp? 

Wars, murders and violence all come because of iniquity and then the love of many waxes cold. 

My dear grandchildren try not to be offended.  It is not worth the angst.

Growing up

Growing up 

As a pediatrician we had a graph to chart the child's progress with their height and weight. Then there was the Denver Developmental Scale to assess motor and social and cognitive development. 

As far as I know there is no nationally standardized check list for what people need to know and accomplish to be able to go out into the world and be prepared to take on the responsibility of living on their own without parental oversight. By the time you leave home you should be able to do the following. 

Be able to make your own bed every morning. Change the sheets and wash them once a week. 

Know how to clean a bathroom and vacuum the floor. Keep the living quarters clean by dusting the furniture and cleaning the floors. 

Be able to do your own laundry and press a suit of clothes. You should know that clothes need to be sorted before they are washed separately. Dark or colored clothes should not be washed together with white clothes. The dye from the dark clothes will bleed into the wash water and dye the white clothes. They then need to be folded neatly and put away. 

Be able to prepare and cook a balanced meal from scratch. 

Know the difference between principles and preference. 

Have a set of standards of conduct to make you a person of integrity. Be honest and truthful. Know the difference between right and wrong. What are you going to use as a standard?

Be able to converse with individuals of all ages. 

Be interested in learning and set and achieve goals. 

Be responsible for your own actions. Be kind to people. 

Understand the germ theory and how to keep healthy. 

Understand that there are consequences to all actions both good and bad. 

It is the role of the parent to teach and prepare the child to live as an adult. Too many young people get out into life ill prepared to handle the challenge that comes when they go out to college or into the work place. They are used to having most of the things and decisions made for them. 

Realize that both time and money require management and budgeting because once they are spent one can never bring them back. They are not reusable resources. Eventually we have to give an accounting for both. 

There was a recent article in the Deseret News newspaper that addresses this situation. I included it here. 

SALT LAKE CITY ̬ Whether it’s for college, travel, humanitarian or religious service, as parents we can decrease stress and increase a smooth transition for our children by using anticipation and the Basic 7: cook, clean, clothes, cash, car, communication and coping skills.
For most families, an effective tool is to anticipate the transition early on. This can ease fears, list needed skills and make routines meaningful. To keep it simple, you can create a transition timeline (don’t worry, it’s simple).
List the main transition ages in your family, such as 5, 8, 12, 16, 18 and 21. Choose the next upcoming transition, plan ahead, discuss what to expect and define new skills needed to make it a success.
Which brings us to the Basic 7, a few skills to successfully prepare our children to enter the real world (and to finally understand, Virginia, that there is no Cleaning Fairy).
1. Cook
Teach them how to cook five simple but real meals (which they won’t use). Then teach a fast five set of meals (the ones they might use). Those could include a rotisserie chicken three different ways — buy it and pull the chicken apart for chicken cheese quesadillas, barbecue chicken sandwiches and easy chicken noodle soup. They may not use any of these skills, but it matters not: you’ve done your job.
2. Clean
Teach them how to deep clean, then fast clean. Once they’ve had to clean the house in two hours, doing a 5-minute bathroom will seem like a gift. To do that, show them how to start with cleanest to dirtiest (cloth wise) as they spray and wipe the counter, sink and toilet, done. (Doing the mirror is fabulous, but not even on their radar).
3. Clothes
Teach them how to do each basic laundry stage — wash, fold, put away — and for a year they do all three weekly. If possible, encourage their laundry day to be a set one so that even when they move out, the routine is ingrained (supposedly).
If nothing else, they get the concept of what moms do at home. A few years ago our children bucked the annoying chore-doing. To address it, we held a “Parents for the Day” experience. While my husband and I sat in our master bedroom blissfully watching a movie, we heard the children divvy up the chores and take care of the then-baby. The experience was priceless. To this day, all we have to do is start the sentence, "Maybe we need a Parents …” and their wide eyes and please-no gesturing hands get us back on schedule.
4. Cash
Teach them financial literacy and value. Not just how to spend money, but how to spend it wisely — when to go cheap, when to do quality, and when to say no. For my daughter’s recent birthday party, we were doing a hula hoop contest. But the first store charged about $45 for 10 hula hoops. I checked a few dollar stores and found one with enough hoops for only $10. I shared this example with my children to learn, literally, the value of a dollar.
5. Car
Teach them that transportation is about necessity, not nicety. Discuss what they really need to function — car, bike, bus, walk, etc. At college, I rode a small scooter. For only $5 a week in gas, I could tool around to classes, buy groceries (the one bag rested on the small floor board), and visit friends south of campus. I froze in winter, but there you are. We don’t need to make it too convenient for our kids. Real life is about learning and growing from struggle, especially right out of the gate.
6. Communication
Teach them key phrases and skills to work with others. These could include how to validate, make reasonable requests and follow up. One important skill is to “use your voice.” This helps them know how and when to speak up, ask questions and get answers. From doing a teaching internship in Taiwan to performing in award-winning plays to touring with a symphonic band in Hawaii, using my voice gave my unforgettable opportunities in college.
7. Coping skills
Teach them how to manage emotions and handle stress. Management skills could include a religious focus or habit such as prayer or scripture study, as well as a talent, skill or routine that calms or rejuvenates. My kids have chosen to play guitar, work out or read to release stress (I prefer the tried-and-true method of Ritter [Sport] with hazelnuts).
Another helpful mechanism is creating baseline routines and zones. For example, when we travel I like to “set up shop” immediately in the room: my Ziploc bag with hair and hygiene items goes in the bathroom; clothes and shoes in the closet; books and journal on the side table. I forget fewer things and feel more at home. As kids figure out their own routines and zones, they can move from apartment to apartment and still quickly function in their daily routine.
The ideas here are certainly not exhaustive but could be a useful springboard to preparing your son or daughter for their upcoming transition.

Prayer

Prayer

I wrote this in 1978 long before there was such a thing as a blog.

Doctrine & Covenants 112:10. 

"Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers."

Many people can testify that God answers prayers and that they are important.  While reading about one of my ancestors I found a story, which illustrates this idea.

During the month of January 1856, the weather was very cold, the temperature ranging 20 to 30 degrees below zero at times.  On one occasion my Great, great, great grandfather found himself in Mill Creek Canyon alone.  It was so cold no one cared risk going to the canyon that day.  He was at the time, hauling house logs, five to a load.  After getting logs cut and dragged to loading place, he commenced loading on bobsled, one end on the sled, and the other dragging in the snow.  The loading being very slippery, he thought he was being very careful.  He got the first one loaded, turned around to load another.  The one he had loaded sipped off like it was shot out of a gun, struck him in legs and threw him forward on his face across other logs lying on the ice.  In falling his handspike slipped out of his hand and out of reach.  He found himself with his body lying face down across four logs with fifth lying across legs.

He was pinned by a heavy red pine 10 inches through at large end, 22 feet long across his legs.  There was no visible means to extricate himself and no one was in the canyon that day.  In falling on the logs his breast and stomach were hurt and it was difficult to breath.  He did not know what to do and concluded to ask the Lord to help him, which he did in earnest prayer.

After calling upon Lord for some time he began to make an effort to extricate himself but all in vain.  He continued in his efforts until he was exhausted and lost all recollection of his situation.

The first he remembered afterward, he was a mile down the canyon sitting on his load of logs, the oxen going gently along. He, being very cold, stopped the oxen and tried to get off and put his coat on.  He could not and put it on in a sitting position, wrapping his legs the best he could.  He did not know how long he had been there but he supposed it was two hours since he was two hours later getting home than usual.  On arriving home his wife lifted him from the wagon and helped him to the house, placing him by the fireside and took care of the team, etc.  He said later. 'Who it was that extricated me from under the log, loaded my sled, hitched my oxen to it, and placed me on it, I cannot say, as I do not know or even then, at the time remember seeing anyone, and I know for a surety no one was in the canyon that day but myself.  Hence I must give the Lord or my Guardian Angel credit for saving my life in extricating me from so perilous a situation.'

He was a very humble man and had been prepared for such an occasion.

You may not have such a dramatic answer to your prayers, but you will get an answer and you can have one as equally important in your life.

Love,

Grandpa

Principles versus Historical Facts

There have been a number of recent articles published in one of the local newspapers that are critical of the church. I will not go into detail about what people are saying. Suffice it to say that people find fault. 

The crux of their complaints is that they did not know some things that happened in the past. They claim that the church leaders have been hiding things from the church members. 

They think that all of these things should have been spoken about in sacrament meetings or in Sunday school. 

The incidents and practices that they refer to have not been hidden from those who have studied. If someone who lives 350 miles from the center of the church and is a busy physician can read and gain the information on such topics without the benefit of access to the church archives, then anyone can find out about those "hidden and secret" things. 

Let us here state that the only reason for the existence on the church is to bring people to Christ and be perfected in him. 

The church is to testify of Christ and to call people to repentance. It is not here to teach history. 

When I was serving as stake president Elder Bruce Redd McConkie came and taught me and the other priesthood leaders the principles of priesthood correlation. 

1. The family and the individual do everything in the church. 
2. The church exists to help the family and the individual. 
3. Home teaching is the vehicle through which the church helps the family and the individual. 

This seems to be somewhat hidden in the church today. 

Next we have the 3 or 4 fold mission of the church. Originally it was three and now it is four. 

1. Proclaim the gospel. 
2. Redeem the dead. 
3. Perfect the saints. 
4. Serve the poor and needy. 

Nowhere in these principles do I see the need for teaching or understanding items of history or past practices. 

Our eternal salvation and God's approbation does not depend on the knowledge that the church changed fast meeting from the first Thursday in the month to the first Sunday. Or that the early Elders of the church used to raise their right arm to the square when they prayed or administered the sacrament, or any number of a myriad of things. 

Some have such weak testimonies that when they find out that Joseph Smith used a seer stone and a hat to reduce the ambient light when he translate the Book of Mormon that they cry, "Why have the church leaders hidden this fact from us?" I found about that at least 35 years ago and it was not because some church leader spoon fed me the information.

This information will not be asked by Saint Peter at the golden gate for entrance into the kingdom of God. (A commonly held false notion.) He will probably ask, "Have you read the Book of Mormon and lived by its principles and commandments that God caused to come forth by his command and through his gift and power to his prophets?"  Or "Do you love Christ with all your heart, might and strength and have you kept all his statutes and ordinances and been a savior to your ancestors?"

The prophets and apostles have more to do than satisfy members curiosity. Their mandate from the Lord is to preach nothing but repentance unto this generation and to prepare the earth for His second coming. 

He does not want a slothful people who have nothing to do except be spoon fed by the leaders. 

If you have a question, ask the Lord first after you have put some effort to find the answers from the pure fountain and then ask Grandpa if you don't have enough faith to get an answer from the Lord. Grandpa will answer your question and not think the question is stupid.

Love,

Grandpa