http://latterdaycommentary.blogspot.com/2008/11/and-its-numbers-were-few.html
This is a blog I follow- interesting LDS thoughts. This article is good, but the links from it are also intriguing. It even goes on to talk about how we've been forewarned about these things happening and links to another article he wrote about the signs still to come. It also talks about Prop 8 and how people in his stake who supported it are now being blacklisted and their personal lives and employment being persecuted. I really didn't think I'd see such backlash of the church in my lifetime. We've always done so much good for others and want nothing in return. Just as they want their rights, we want our right to religious freedom and to keep their teachings out of our schools and impressioning our young children's minds.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Striving to not "blow our lead"
Many years ago President Joe Bentley, president of the Newport Beach Stake at the time, gave a talk to the youth about how important it is not to "Blow our Lead" in life. He was alluding to how frequently in the NBA one team will have a 20 or even 30 point lead and almost unbelievably lose the game at the end:
This phenomenon occurs in the NBA several times this year -- in fact it almost happened last night to my beloved Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers were playing the New Orleans' Hornets and had a 21 point lead most of the game, but almost ended up getting beat in the fourth quarter. They were very fortunate to barely win a game they should have won easily, and almost snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as teams do who "blow their lead."
Why do basketball teams blow their lead so frequently? There is probably no easy answer but I think human nature being what it is they become complacent, depart from the fundamentals that built their lead in the first place, and quit playing with intensity. In most cases I observe that they quit playing tough defense. There is not a great deal of glory in playing defense. It requires constant and consistent hard work and is not nearly as fun or glorious as launching a three pointer that splashes through the net to the applause and cheers of the crowd. However, teams that don't continue to play hard-nosed, in-your-face defense, usually end up blowing their lead and often times losing the game. In basketball as in life, to ultimately win the prize -- the game or eternal life -- we must endure to the end and not "blow our lead!"
I have always been intrigued by the lives of three characters in the Old Testament -- Saul, David, and Solomon. Each of them was given an "early lead" in life. Of Saul it was said that he was "... a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people." [1 Samuel 9:2] Anointed by Samuel to be the King of Israel as a young man with the promise of a long and productive life ahead, we know that he "blew his lead" through pride and disobedience, was filled with jealousy and hatred toward David, and eventually died an ignominious death as a miserable old man.
Samuel the Prophet was inspired to anoint the young boy David to replace Saul as the next King of Israel. We read of David, "... Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lordcame upon David from that day forward...." [1 Samuel 16:12-13]
Who ever was given a bigger lead as a young man than David? He had the faith to go forward to slay Goliath. He was a great poet and musician as well as a powerful warrior. He loved the Lord and was loved by the Lord. Our heart aches for David as we observe him through the pages of history "blow his lead," in his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and the slaying of her husband. How could you have done it, David? I know why -- he quit reading his scriptures and praying, [he quit playing defense and departed from the fundamentals of his faith] and undoubtedly was also lifted up in his pride. And so this boy of such promise and infinite potential blew his lead and ended his days in misery and heart ache.
David's son, Solomon, was a sweet and humble young man who loved the Lord when he began his reign as King of Israel as evidenced in the following prayer he offered to Jehovah. "And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in... Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?" [1 Kings 3:7, 9]
Solomon was blessed with wisdom. He loved the Lord and built the great temple. Under his direction Israel flourished as never before but even great Solomon eventually "blew his lead" as we all know. He forsook Jehovah, married many "strange women", allowed the worship of false gods in the kingdom and eventually died a hollow shell, and but a shadow of his former humble and wise self.
Surely the Lord could have called men to be kings of Israel that would have endured faithfully to the end. I believe there is a great lesson in his not doing so, however. I call it the "Two Faces of the Three Kings of Israel." Those two faces are the natural man and the spiritual man we are all capable of being. Birth, the privileges we receive in our youth, our infinite potential as sons and daughters of God mean nothing if we do not day by day do those things that enable us to not blow our lead, give in to the natural man that is always lurking just beneath the surface, and endure faithfully to the end.
We who have been given so much must never grow complacent, quit playing intense defense and "blow our lead."
This phenomenon occurs in the NBA several times this year -- in fact it almost happened last night to my beloved Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers were playing the New Orleans' Hornets and had a 21 point lead most of the game, but almost ended up getting beat in the fourth quarter. They were very fortunate to barely win a game they should have won easily, and almost snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as teams do who "blow their lead."
Why do basketball teams blow their lead so frequently? There is probably no easy answer but I think human nature being what it is they become complacent, depart from the fundamentals that built their lead in the first place, and quit playing with intensity. In most cases I observe that they quit playing tough defense. There is not a great deal of glory in playing defense. It requires constant and consistent hard work and is not nearly as fun or glorious as launching a three pointer that splashes through the net to the applause and cheers of the crowd. However, teams that don't continue to play hard-nosed, in-your-face defense, usually end up blowing their lead and often times losing the game. In basketball as in life, to ultimately win the prize -- the game or eternal life -- we must endure to the end and not "blow our lead!"
I have always been intrigued by the lives of three characters in the Old Testament -- Saul, David, and Solomon. Each of them was given an "early lead" in life. Of Saul it was said that he was "... a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people." [1 Samuel 9:2] Anointed by Samuel to be the King of Israel as a young man with the promise of a long and productive life ahead, we know that he "blew his lead" through pride and disobedience, was filled with jealousy and hatred toward David, and eventually died an ignominious death as a miserable old man.
Samuel the Prophet was inspired to anoint the young boy David to replace Saul as the next King of Israel. We read of David, "... Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lordcame upon David from that day forward...." [1 Samuel 16:12-13]
Who ever was given a bigger lead as a young man than David? He had the faith to go forward to slay Goliath. He was a great poet and musician as well as a powerful warrior. He loved the Lord and was loved by the Lord. Our heart aches for David as we observe him through the pages of history "blow his lead," in his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and the slaying of her husband. How could you have done it, David? I know why -- he quit reading his scriptures and praying, [he quit playing defense and departed from the fundamentals of his faith] and undoubtedly was also lifted up in his pride. And so this boy of such promise and infinite potential blew his lead and ended his days in misery and heart ache.
David's son, Solomon, was a sweet and humble young man who loved the Lord when he began his reign as King of Israel as evidenced in the following prayer he offered to Jehovah. "And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in... Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?" [1 Kings 3:7, 9]
Solomon was blessed with wisdom. He loved the Lord and built the great temple. Under his direction Israel flourished as never before but even great Solomon eventually "blew his lead" as we all know. He forsook Jehovah, married many "strange women", allowed the worship of false gods in the kingdom and eventually died a hollow shell, and but a shadow of his former humble and wise self.
Surely the Lord could have called men to be kings of Israel that would have endured faithfully to the end. I believe there is a great lesson in his not doing so, however. I call it the "Two Faces of the Three Kings of Israel." Those two faces are the natural man and the spiritual man we are all capable of being. Birth, the privileges we receive in our youth, our infinite potential as sons and daughters of God mean nothing if we do not day by day do those things that enable us to not blow our lead, give in to the natural man that is always lurking just beneath the surface, and endure faithfully to the end.
We who have been given so much must never grow complacent, quit playing intense defense and "blow our lead."
Saturday, November 1, 2008
A More Determined Discipleship
"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not hewill follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions. President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had 'never hesitated to follow the counsel of theAuthorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional orpolitical life.'"This is hard doctrine, but it is particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. . . . Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. . . . This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions."Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened....Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even in these, however, let us leave a record so that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened as lumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was, till then, unconscious of itself. Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, 'summer is nigh.' Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat." --- Elder Neal A. Maxwell
What's interesting about this- the talk is from a devotional at BYU in 1979
But yet these issues are totally being seen in our politics today. We really need to take a stand in this world we are living in and stick to our beliefs and build our testimony to protect ourselves from worldly influences going on around us. On Nov 5th, we can start to figure out what our future will look like, but until then this state of limbo is really making some people nervous and when I get that way, it's good to have the church as a stable place to lean on. Keeps me grounded.
What's interesting about this- the talk is from a devotional at BYU in 1979
But yet these issues are totally being seen in our politics today. We really need to take a stand in this world we are living in and stick to our beliefs and build our testimony to protect ourselves from worldly influences going on around us. On Nov 5th, we can start to figure out what our future will look like, but until then this state of limbo is really making some people nervous and when I get that way, it's good to have the church as a stable place to lean on. Keeps me grounded.
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