"Because of Jesus Christ. . ."

I reread the recent General Conference talk by Elder Dale G. Renlund yesterday, which is the title of my chapter this morning. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2026/04/46renlund?lang=eng. As I read his summary of all that Jesus Christ has done for us, I couldn’t help but insert my own name in place of the Savior’s. I recommend a similar exercise for each of us.

The Savior has provided the Atonement. It is comprehensive and in my case at least almost incomprehensible as I grow older and face the certainty of my not-too-distant personal meeting with Him someday. I will pour out my heart to Him in what will no doubt be an inadequate expression of gratitude. I wonder this morning if I will ever truly understand what “worlds without number” and inhabitants of the same look like. Mind boggling is all I can come up with.

Elder Renlund at the beginning said: “I cannot add more time to your days or eliminate the many concerns modern life brings. But I can offer this counsel: Not all matters are of equal value, and maintaining an eternal perspective helps us prioritize the things that are of greatest value. On this Easter Sunday, let us consider why focusing on Jesus Christ and the ‘infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice’ is of greatest value and helps us no matter how many other concerns we must manage. His life, His mission, and the fruits of His Atonement bless us infinitely and daily.” (Emphasis mine).

And there’s that word “infinite” again. I am daily reminded of the many matters that consume my attention, even at this late stage in my life. Yes, life is substantially simpler than it was many years ago, but now I am in the throes of seeking answers about my comparatively paltry estate plan that will hopefully benefit us all.

I ask myself, “Because of David Goates, my posterity will be blessed in the following ways…” and now I am leaving it in their hands to fill in the blanks that remain.

Then I wonder if I were to write my own obituary, what would I include? Would I give a stark and naked assessment, recounting all my shortcomings, sins of commission or omission, dredging up hopefully a detailed list of failings and oversights, stupid decisions, and all the rest that went with it? Would I attempt to blame others for my misfortunes?

Or would I rely upon the mercy and merits of my Savior and Redeemer to have forgiven me for all of it? These poor pages I have assembled for all of you will no doubt provide ample fodder for your own answers to the question I am posing for each of us this morning. As my Savior has forgiven me, I pray each of you may find evidence sufficient to also forgive me.

I wrote a private letter to Patsy in recent weeks, which I will not share here, in which I poured out my heart and soul to her as though she were still at my side here in mortality. From her lofty perch in the spirit world I am hoping she may know perfectly the thoughts and the intents of my heart as I finalize my estate plan for the future of this little cabin where I live on the Provo River. It’s all I have left to give, and I hope it may be accomplished in some semblance of an orderly transition to our next generations that will outlive both of us who created it.

I loved the way Elder Renlund expressed it: “Because of the merits, mercy, and grace of Jesus Christ, we can return home to our Heavenly Father and live in His presence. This is only possible through Jesus Christ. The Savior Himself said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ Jesus, who leads us to salvation, has the power to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves because He completed His Atonement.” (ibid., emphasis mine).

My Eternal Companion Patsy

I am acutely aware these days of all the many things I cannot do for myself, and therefore more accurately aware of my dependency upon the Atonement than ever before in my existence. I only desire the realization of one permanent goal in my life at this point - to return to the loving arms of my Savior and my Father in Heaven with honor and with my discipleship in clear evidence. By extension, I hope those loving arms include my celestial companion Patsy. So what is my motivation about anything that remains in my life? I just stated it.

Moments ago I watched a hawk swoop down from a tall pine tree outside my office window. It snagged an unsuspecting pot gut in its talons and then flew off to devour its prey. I have pondered and wondered over a lifetime if pot guts can possibly have any useful purpose on this earth, and as I shot a few over the weekend it remains an open question for me. I have murdered my fair share over the years living where I do. The perils and realities of mortality are that there always seems to be a bigger predator to take us out at any moment in time. Who or what will finally take me out? I leave the speculations to all who wish to play from the “list of horribles.”

Elder Renlund continues: “Jesus Christ has infinite capacity to forgive, promising that ‘as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.’ Because of Jesus Christ, sins for which we have sincerely repented leave no spiritual scar, track, or trace. There is no scarlet letter to wear, now or in the eternities. When we repent with real intent, the entirety of our sin, not just a part, is figuratively nailed to the cross and we no longer bear its spiritual consequences. After we have repented, we owe no more to justice because Jesus has paid the debt; He pardons us from deserved punishment. We are forgiven, our hearts and hands are made clean, and the Lord remembers our sins no more. The Lord our God ‘is mighty; he will save, [and] he will rejoice over [us].’” (ibid., emphasis mine).

I have concluded along with Elder Renlund that even though the Atonement is infinite, it is also deeply personal to me. When I truly see my feeble part that I play in mortality, and can look objectively and not defensively deep within my own heart and soul, I feel to rejoice in my Savior’s offering of repentance. All other considerations pale in insignificance. Introspection is a divine gift of the spirit.

“Focusing on the Savior, His infinite Atonement, and what He has done for us will bring joy and clarity into our lives, no matter how many other concerns we have. This is why ancient and modern prophets have and always will direct us to Christ. You may remember that President Russell M. Nelson taught, ‘Whatever questions or problems you have, the answer is always found in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.’ And President Dallin H. Oaks, the Lord’s living prophet today, simply declared, ‘Jesus Christ is the way.’” (ibid.)

So here is my humble answer to my own question, “Because of David Goates, I was taught about the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”

Now, please consider the answer to that question as you insert your own name into that sentence. What will your legacy be? I hope the answers will be as enlightening to you as they have been for me this morning.

The Wednesday Wash Line of Questions

I've had a number of random thoughts running through my fixed brain this morning. Bear with me as I hang them out to dry on the Wednesday wash line.

Governor Spencer Cox

You'd have to be a special kind of stupid to advocate for indiscriminate use of fireworks in a state like Utah this year. The winds and the dry ground are a lethal combination of fire hazard, especially where we live in the high Uintas. I hold my breath every day when the wind picks up and the air is so dry you can feel it all the way down your throat. I doubt that Utah will ever be anything but a semi-arid climate despite all the recent calls for fasting and prayer to mitigate the impact of the drought. I love the leadership of Governor Spencer Cox (R) UT in calling for fasting and prayer for more rain. But, given those facts, doesn't it just make sense to ban fireworks completely? I wonder why that hasn't made its way into the collective consciousness of our legislature yet.

Here's another thought - why are there interstate highways in Hawaii? Is it just because they receive federal tax dollars to build their highways as part of building an interstate system? But why call them that in Hawaii? Which state does Hawaii connect to via an interstate highway? Um, nope, can't think of even one.

This morning I read that a recent poll concluded a solid majority of Americans still favor not overturning the infamous Roe v. Wade decision to allow abortions. You can take whatever political side of that question you choose, but isn't abortion just state-sanctioned murder of fetuses? How long will abortion remain the law of the land? I know there are heated and passionate debates about it all around the country, but come on, Americans, we can do better here can't we? Let's call abortion what it is and just label it as murder, and let's refuse to fund abortion with tax dollars. Isn't it time?

And what about same-sex marriage? As the traditional barriers we once associated with morality continue to crumble, can't we all agree that state-sanctioned marriages of anything other than one man and one woman should be re-examined? Some call it progressive plurality and hail it as coming to a more enlightened age of sophistication. I'd have to say it's something else. You can label me conservative if you like. I've been called worse.

Here's another thought along those lines - can it be much longer before we sanction polygamy or polyandry? I wonder why those ideas haven't surfaced yet in our society. Once thought abhorrent enough to drive the Mormons out of the United States and compel them to set up their community in these arid wastelands in the West, why would our "enlightened" views continue to exclude polygamists in the progressive debate? Does that make sense? Why so many seeming contradictions?

I have a "pot gut problem" at the Ranch where we live. Each year they burrow unrestrained during the winter months throughout the yard and surrounding locations. They are nourished during winter by eating the roots of healthy plants and trees above their tunnels. This year I count ten or twenty running across the road as I drive up and down our 2.5 mile driveway. The larger predators and birds of prey are their natural enemies. I watched a hawk swoop down on one this morning and snag it in its talons. Good for the hawk, but those pot guts must be elusive little varmints, because I feel I need to contribute a strong human intervention to stop them in their tracks. I bought a semi-automatic .22 caliber carbine rifle a few years ago, and that seems to be the only reasonable means of keeping them at bay and out of Patsy's flowers. I really have no problem with them on an intellectual level, but when they invade my wife's flowers, the .22 comes out and they are on my extinction radar. Then it's no longer live and let live with me. It's personal.

When pot guts are able to proliferate without being confronted, then why do we have to put up with other predators in our society too? I have a daughter who was touched inappropriately by a trusted and well-respected physical therapist when she was a teenager. She is just now coming to realize what really happened back then. Turns out what he was doing wasn't in anyone's description of "normal." She will now take steps to confront that reality with other young women who were similarly affected by his aberrant behavior. Sometimes human intervention is required in a situation where adults are allowed to prey on children for their own pleasure without fear of retribution. Like pot guts, they must be destroyed so they cannot prey upon others. The Southern Baptists are taking steps to do just that in their congregations.

Why are some people able to cover their sins for years without any consequences? Why aren't the wicked immediately punished? Why are the good people rarely rewarded instantly for their good deeds? Why does there seem to be so much injustice in the world? Why does forgiveness seem to be so impossible to grant when judgment is so much easier? Why does God permit the wicked to go on unchecked while the righteous continue to suffer at their hands? Why do the tares have to be permitted to flourish with the wheat until the final harvest? Can't we just pluck out a few tares right now?

Why doesn't everyone who has been vaccinated just wear a red "V" around their neck instead of a mask over their nose and mouth?

Why is the Second Coming so slow in coming? Why is finding a reliable plumber so hard to do? When you have a family full of really competent people - doctor, dentist, physical therapists, cosmetologists, electrician, software engineers, trona miner, educators, salesmen, attorney - why do you not have even one plumber? Why does America's GM make what appear to be big tough SUVs that can't take it on the rough ranch road, but Japan's Toyota has the right stuff that cruises over rough roads without wearing out universal joints? Why does a little wind-blown snow over the road in the winter suddenly render useless whatever vehicle you have to conquer those roads? Why do tires always need to be replaced in the summer instead of waiting until winter when new tread is really needed more?

Why does sagebrush seem so difficult to eradicate, and yet watering it can kill it? Why does a worldwide pandemic like COVID-19 have such a devastating impact upon the people living on Earth? Why does it take a pandemic to reduce us to our lowest common denominators of survival? Last week we flew for the first time in over a year, and we walked the one-mile concourse at the new SLC International Airport, which begged the question, "Where are the trams?" That place is cavernous. I learned later the answer to my question is that trams are coming in a subsequent phase of the construction.

And that might be the only answer to any of the questions that are rattling around in my brain this morning.

Patience, Not Anger, Eventually Wins Out

 About thirty-one years ago we added a large two-story addition to our original cabin structure in Pine Valley. It was late in November when we commenced construction, and getting the addition framed up and closed in before winter was our primary concern. 

We contacted the power company (then Utah Power & Light, now Rocky Mountain Power) to move the buried primary power cable running through the valley, and waited a week after three failed attempts at getting a response from them. Each day the temperature dropped, and the footing and foundation contractor told me he would have to move ahead, or cancel and wait until next spring. He was getting worried about pouring the cement in the winter months because of falling temperatures. 

After no response from the power company, except for shallow promises, "We'll get right on that," we decided to move ahead with a work around solution. The cement contractor fashioned a PVC collar to fit around the two-inch power cable where it would go through the two foundation walls and allow the power cable to run through our crawl space in the new addition. Problem solved, or so we thought.

Construction proceeded, we did in fact get the structure finished and closed in before the winter's fury descended upon us, and for those thirty-one years we have lived with that power cable in our crawl space. These are the things one does when you live where we live.

Fast forward thirty-one years. Despite several additional attempts to get the attention of the power company over the years, nothing was ever done until last week. We heard a knock at the door, and opened to greet a crew chief from Rocky Mountain Power who let us know they were on our property to inspect where the main power line was so that additional work around us could be accomplished. Blue stakes had marked the existing line with red paint and little red flags, and the crew chief was simply asking if the markings that showed the line running under our addition could possibly be accurate. I assured him they were, then he asked, "Could we go down in the crawl space and take some pictures of the line?" 

He took the pictures back to the office, and his parting words were, "I can't believe the power company has left this situation unaddressed for thirty-plus years. I don't know if we can get to it right away but certainly by next spring we'll move that line out around your home to the east, cut the existing cable and remove it from under your home." 

Imagine my surprise when I awoke the next day to find trucks, track hoes, dump trucks, and a large crew of men from the power company's subcontractor who were ready to go to work on rerouting the line. We walked the ground and agreed on the new trench location for the cable, and they explained they would bury the conduit in the ground that day and a crew from Rocky Mountain Power would follow up the first of this week and pull new cable and install a new terminal transformer box on our north property line. The speed, efficiency and accuracy with which they worked was impressive.

Turned out, when he got back to the office with the pictures, it was concluded quickly by the crew chief's boss, Mitch, that this was a project that leaped to the top of the list of priorities. He was good friends with two of our sons, Jake and Rich, who had lived in Mitch's neighborhood over in Heber City, and they had played together on the same Church basketball team and won a regional tournament together. He said to me when we met, "You've raised two great sons there, who have become great men. When I learned this was your home and the home where they had been raised, I was determined to make this happen sooner rather than later." It is good be the father of great sons, I thought to myself once again.

Last night, Mitch and his crew from Rocky Mountain Power arrived around 6:30 p.m., and confirmed they were there to pull the new cable through the buried conduit and make the new connections. They worked on it for about four hours, and we were only without power for about five minutes while they made the connections at both ends of the new cable in the junction boxes. When Mitch came up from the crawl space with the cable neatly coiled up in his hands, he said, "Well, promise kept after thirty-one years - we've taken out that 7200-volt power line from under your house and moved it safely away from you and your family."

The point of my telling this story is simple. Sometimes life presents us with experiences where we have choices. We can either huff and puff and threaten to blow down someone's house, or we can choose to be patient and civil, waiting for future events to unfold as they always will when truth rises to the top as cream rises in a bucket of fresh milk. And no, I will not be suing Rocky Mountain Power any time soon, and no, sitting on that 7200-volt power line for 31 years did not cause my brain tumor.

In this political election season in America, let us all be patient with one another and our politicians. Let us not be pouters or rioters. Let us, instead, be civil and patient with each other. America is the land where God chose to set the events in motion that would be hundreds of years unfolding in the ongoing restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Israel is being gathered from the four corners of Earth's expanse, and that work will take some time to complete. Be patient. "Let God Prevail," as President Russell M. Nelson has reminded us recently.

And just like the power company that fulfilled all its promises some thirty-one years later, God will yet fulfill all His promises too. (See Doctrine & Covenants 1:37). America will not fail in this political season, just as it has not failed in prior election seasons. Sometimes it just takes a little while to fulfill the promises the way we had hoped.

On Becoming a First Watch Disciple

After reading yesterday's post, someone sent me an e-mail asking, "Do we really have to wait on God until the very last minute before we can be rescued?" As I pondered an answer to that question, I reflected on whether or not there might be an exception to the fourth watch observations I had made.

The world about us is increasingly chaotic and troublesome. In recent days as 2014 ebbed to a close, we have witnessed unrest in the streets of America over racial tensions arising from police shootings of black teenagers and the seemingly retaliatory brutal assassination in Brooklyn of two of New York's finest. We can debate the causes for this uprising, but that is not the point. Our collective faith and determination to right our national ship of state must continue to be in evidence in the days and years ahead, or we will default to this kind of lawlessness in the streets.

The imagery of a ship being tossed to and fro on the mighty deep is a familiar theme in the scriptures. It could be true for nations as well as individuals. As my little individual ship is tossed to and fro amid the mighty waves of mortality, like the barges Mahonri Moriancumer built, I have become convinced it must be “tight like unto a dish,” otherwise it would have sunk a long time ago.  (See Ether 2:17).

There is insight here that is priceless. The barges in the scriptural account are prepared for a journey to the promised land. The journey would provide “waves of the sea,” “winds,” “rains and floods,” and even “mountain waves.” The account tells us “the winds have gone forth out of my mouth” – in other words, God is the cause of the wind that causes the mountain waves. So why didn’t Moriancumer just say to the Lord when asked how to solve the problem of the light in the vessels, “Lord, why don't you just NOT blow the wind so hard?” However, leaving the problem to be solved by Moriancumer, the Lord offered this comfort:  “I prepare you against these things.” (Ether 2:23-25). Note, the preparation the Lord was focusing on here was Moriancumer's personal preparation for that which was to come, not on preparing the vessels, which was Moriancumer's primary objective. I think, painful as it is right now, that we are being prepared for the Lord's Second Coming.

C.S. Lewis

C. S. Lewis said lots of cool stuff, and this is just one example:

. . .ye cannot in your present state understand eternity. . . But ye can get some likeness of it if ye say that both good and evil, when they are full grown, become retrospective. . . all their earthly past will have been Heaven to those who are saved. . . That is what mortals misunderstand. They say of some temporal suffering, "No future bliss can make up for it," not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory. And of some sinful pleasure they say "Let me have but this and I'll take the consequences:" little dreaming how damnation will spread back and back into their past and contaminate the pleasure of the sin. Both processes begin even before death. The good man's past begins to change so that his forgiven sins and remembered sorrows take on the quality of Heaven: the bad man's past already conforms to his badness and is filled only with dreariness. And that is why, at the end of all things, when the sun rises here and the twilight turns to blackness down there, the Blessed will say "We have never lived anywhere except in Heaven," and the Lost, "We were always in Hell." And both will speak truly. (Lewis, C. S., The Great Divorce, a Dream. HarperSanFrancisco, (c)1946, 1973, 2001, 69).

As perhaps an addendum to what I wrote about yesterday and in answer to the e-mail writer's concern, I can declare there is one area in our lives where the Lord is a “First Watch God.” Whenever I have sought to be forgiven in my life His response is always immediate and overwhelming. Have you ever been so “filled with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh?” (2 Nephi 4:21). I have. When we repent and come unto Him seeking forgiveness, the response is instantaneous. I can cite several scriptural examples from The Book of Mormon to prove the point.

Enos tells us he received an immediate answer to his plea for forgiveness:

And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.
Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.
And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.
And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.
And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.
And I said: Lord, how is it done?
And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.  (Enos 1:2-8, emphasis mine).

Amaleki, when he began to be old, said by way of invitation and promise:

And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.  (Omni 1:26, emphasis mine).

King Benjamin’s people were forgiven instantly:

And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.
And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.  (Mosiah 4:2-3, emphasis mine).

Zeezrom, one of the infamous converted Anti-Christs, was similarly healed:

And it came to pass that Alma said unto him, taking him by the hand: Believest thou in the power of Christ unto salvation?
And he answered and said: Yea, I believe all the words that thou hast taught.
And Alma said: If thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed.
And he said: Yea, I believe according to thy words.
And then Alma cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord our God, have mercy on this man, and heal him according to his faith which is in Christ.
And when Alma had said these words, Zeezrom leaped upon his feet, and began to walk; and this was done to the great astonishment of all the people; and the knowledge of this went forth throughout all the land of Sidom.
And Alma baptized Zeezrom unto the Lord; and he began from that time forth to preach unto the people.  (Alma 15:6-12, emphasis mine).

Ammon, who converted King Lamoni, described it this way:

And it came to pass that after he had said all these things, and expounded them to the king, that the king believed all his words.
And he began to cry unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, have mercy; according to thy abundant mercy which thou hast had upon the people of Nephi, have upon me, and my people. . .  (Alma 18:40-41).
[Then he’s in a little trance for awhile, and when he awakens he declares to his wife the queen:]
And it came to pass that he arose, according to the words of Ammon; and as he arose, he stretched forth his hand unto the woman, and said: Blessed be the name of God, and blessed art thou.
For as sure as thou livest, behold, I have seen my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be born of a woman, and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name. Now, when he had said these words, his heart was swollen within him, and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the Spirit.  (Alma 19:12-13, emphasis mine).

The queen also received instant help when she awakened with this testimony on her lips:

And it came to pass that she went and took the queen by the hand, that perhaps she might raise her from the ground; and as soon as she touched her hand she arose and stood upon her feet, and cried with a loud voice, saying: O blessed Jesus, who has saved me from an awful hell! O blessed God, have mercy on this people!  (Alma 19:29, emphasis mine).

Then Lamoni’s father gets immediate forgiveness when Aaron teaches him:

And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.
But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.
And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:
O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day.  (Alma 22:15-18).
[Then he too sleeps for awhile and when he awakens, this:]
Now this was done in the presence of the queen and many of the servants.  And when they saw it they greatly marveled, and began to fear.  And the king stood forth, and began to minister unto them, insomuch that his whole household were converted unto the Lord.  (Alma 22:23, emphasis mine).

When Alma later told his conversion story, he related how quickly salvation came to him:

And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.  (Alma 36:17-21, emphasis mine).

Even the wicked people who came to kill Lehi and Nephi, sons of Helaman, received an instantaneous deliverance:

And Nephi and Lehi were in the midst of them; yea, they were encircled about; yea, they were as if in the midst of a flaming fire, yet it did harm them not, neither did it take hold upon the walls of the prison; and they were filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory.
And behold, the Holy Spirit of God did come down from heaven, and did enter into their hearts, and they were filled as if with fire, and they could speak forth marvelous words.
And it came to pass that there came a voice unto them, yea, a pleasant voice, as if it were a whisper, saying:
Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world.
And now, when they heard this they cast up their eyes as if to behold from whence the voice came; and behold, they saw the heavens open; and angels came down out of heaven and ministered unto them.
And there were about three hundred souls who saw and heard these things; and they were bidden to go forth and marvel not, neither should they doubt.
And it came to pass that they did go forth, and did minister unto the people, declaring throughout all the regions round about all the things which they had heard and seen, insomuch that the more part of the Lamanites were convinced of them, because of the greatness of the evidences which they had received.
And as many as were convinced did lay down their weapons of war, and also their hatred and the tradition of their fathers.
And it came to pass that they did yield up unto the Nephites the lands of their possession.  (Helaman 5:44-52, emphasis mine).

We live in a day when hatred among people of different ethnic backgrounds (think Lamanite and Nephite civilizations) extend back to the beginning of Abraham’s tribal family feuds. All are related to Father Abraham, but the differences between these peoples are often dramatized and exacerbated, much as the race relations in America rise to unwarranted heights when the flames are fanned as they are today. Ishmael was saved in the wilderness to give rise to a vast Islamic world population today, a small percentage of which is wreaking havoc not unlike the Gadianton robbers of another time. Who can doubt when we read of these miraculous conversions that the same thing could not happen again as liberty and freedom spreads abroad in the war against terrorism today? Despotism, while it may flourish here and there for a season, cannot be sustained. It is the yearning for freedom, however, that endures.

When we seek forgiveness, there is no doubt the God we worship is a "First Watch God."  But that degree of forgiveness implies we must do “all that we could do” (see Alma 24:11; 15) to receive the blessings sought. The key lies not in God’s power to grant. The key that unlocks salvation in our lives rests in our hands – when we knock, He opens immediately. As powerful as the atonement is, it never has power in our lives until we give Him permission to heal us.

Hugh Nibley

I love the perspective of Hugh Nibley, who when asked to sum up all he had learned, replied that we must become really good at two things in mortality - to repent and to forgive. He fleshes it out this way:

The test for this life is not for knowledge; it is not for intelligence, or for courage, or for anything like that. That would be a huge joke. None of us knows very much, none of us is very brave, none of us is very strong, none of us is very smart. We would flunk those tests terribly. As Alma said, we are only to be tested on one thing - the desires of our heart (Alma 41:3); that is what we are really after. . . Thus we don't need to go on forever suffering the same nonsense in order to see the things we can be tested for, namely the two things and the only two things we are good at: we can forgive and we can repent. These are the two things the angels envy us for. (Approaching Zion, 300-301).

In Luke 17, the Lord Jesus Christ admonishes the disciples to “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.” (Luke 17:3-4).

He raises the stakes even higher in our dispensation with this: “My disciples, in days of old, sought occasion against one another and forgave not one another in their hearts; and for this evil they were afflicted and sorely chastened. Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin. I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.” (D&C 64:8-10).

Elder Neal A. Maxwell

If that is the standard He expects of us, isn’t it reasonable to suppose we could expect Him to do at least as much for us when we need forgiveness – even if it’s seven times in a single day? But how do we get to be so good at forgiveness just like Him? Practice, practice, practice. We are organized into families for that express purpose, so that we may have (as Neal A. Maxwell used to say) “laboratory material” on which to work.

I know that small slights and offenses are all part of rubbing against each other. I know I may have been the cause of some of that among all of you, and for that I seek your forgiveness. Such was never my intent to hurt anyone. But it happens. I try to do my best and years go by, it seems, before I take action to make needed repairs. Like many of you, I am a great procrastinator, but I hope to be better and better as the slippery slope before me and death looms ever more slippery. I love you all and I seek your forgiveness for whatever it is I may have done, not done, or said or not said to have given offense.

In that spirit, while toiling forward in my discipleship late into the Fourth Watch and beyond, my desire is to become a First Watch Disciple who dispenses immediate forgiveness and seeks to swiftly repent as often as seven times a day when needed. That it may be so for all of us, I pray.

And don't be surprised, having done all you know how to do in the way of repenting, if the wait for deliverance continues on for a little while longer. It's all part of your preparation to bring you forth a little more burnished and finished from the fires of adversity. In the immortal words of Earl Hayes, "Pure gold was never refined in an air-conditioned chamber."

My Top 5 List of Things To Be Grateful For

Every year at this time I think about why I love Thanksgiving more than any other holiday in the calendar. It's always been a chance to sit down and take stock of the year as it quickly passes away. This year is no exception. We have so much to be grateful for, and I can always think of more than my top five because it's a very long list. But for 2014, here are my top five:

Ashley, Dianne, Patsy, Peggy

1. My mother-in-law, Peggy Ruth Brazier Hewlett Weight. Yes, at the top of my list this year I have ranked my mother-in-law. She recently passed away after almost 93 years on the planet. But I am not grateful she passed away. Rather, I am grateful for the long legacy of faith she represents to me and all her posterity. I am grateful for all the happy memories she has given us. I am grateful to her for living in such a way that we all learned valuable life lessons of repentance, forgiveness, diligence, hard work and dedication. Legion are the examples of people, family and otherwise, who were welcomed to her home when they were in town for visits. She was always the "hostess with the mostess."

By the world's standards, this would seem an odd choice at the top of a list of things for which I am grateful, but in my case none of the standard mother-in-law jokes apply. Peggy was world-class in essentially all the things that matter most in mothers and human beings in general. She was a consummate networker and connector of people. She had so many friends, even after such a long life, that the chapel for her funeral was filled to overflowing and back into the cultural hall. Never underestimate the impact of being a good friend. Indeed, nearly all her posterity and everyone who knew her thought they were her favorite. What capacity for making people feel special and valued!

I first became aware of Peggy when her son Lin was killed by a drunk driver when I was a junior at East High School. Lin was a senior and Patsy was a sophomore. I watched their family grieve over Lin's death, along with the whole student body. I was at the cemetery in October, 1963, when Lin and his friend Flemming Christensen were laid to rest fifty-one years ago. As I stood over the open grave the other day to dedicate Peggy's final resting place, the memory of Lin's and Flemming's funerals came rushing back. Now the circle of life was complete, and the glorious reunion that was taking place on the other side of the veil was revealed clearly to me and all the rest of us.

Peggy and Harold were role models of applying the atonement's principles to their lives, and they became diligent missionaries wherever in the world they went. Eventually, they would travel to the far corners of the earth, touching foot on every continent except Antarctica. Her son John sang "O That I Were an Angel," as a final tribute to her at her funeral, and when I thought of Lin and Flemming doing missionary work in the spirit world for fifty-one years before she joined them there, I was thrilled at the prospect of her wish finally coming true! How grateful I am for the knowledge of the plan of salvation that has been revealed in these last days.

2. I am grateful for her daughter, Patsy. I don't think there is a more compassionate and loving woman on earth than Patsy. She has spent the last several weeks at her mother's side both in the rehab center and the hospital. Peggy fell and broke her hip about seven weeks ago. It proved to be a game changer, and accelerated her demise. Until that event, we had all thought Peggy to be invincible. At the peril of her own health, something I have been worried about, Patsy pressed on in service to her mother, ignoring her own well-being. I insisted that she go to see the doctor this week after all the events of her mother's passing were complete, and as I was writing this post they called from the doctor's office to give an alarming report about Patsy's anemic condition, something that has been a lifelong challenge for her but has been exacerbated by the events of the past several weeks. We spent the rest of the day in the emergency room until well into the night, while they transfused her with two units of blood.

We never know when or how life will end. There are no guarantees, no extended lease terms on life. Our sojourn here on earth has an expiration date, we just don't have that information. I am grateful for each day I have with this remarkable woman, knowing factors beyond our control may overtake us someday. When I think about why Patsy has a lifelong pattern of little or no sleep at night and seems to be so focused on the needs and comforts of others ahead of her own, I need look no further than the example she saw in her mother for the answer.

At Merilee's wedding reception, summer 2014 

3. I am grateful for all our children and grandchildren. In our family we don't make distinctions about in-laws. They are all ours, and we count them that way. When we were counting up grandchildren of Peggy's we included all the spouses of our children in the count, and we were instructed that's not an accurate count. Peggy never believed that - she always sided with our way of counting. So, when the program for the memorial service was being prepared I listed everyone as though they all belonged to Peggy and Harold, because they do without reservation. One well wisher in a card to Patsy after the funeral, summed it up best:

"Your dear mother was loved by so many! She brought a lot of happiness and joy, especially to her grandchildren. They have expressed so many great things about their experiences with her. Her family was so important to her, her friends loved her, and she always was full of life!
"You were so fortunate to have had her in your life for so many years. Her zest for life, her love of family was so evident.
"Patsy, know I love you, you have so many wonderful traits of your mother."

4. The knowledge I have of the atonement of Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation. That testimony anchors our existence here in mortality. He suffered for each of us. As the only Sinless One, He took upon Himself our sins and our afflictions. There is nothing in this mortal experience He does not know and understand intimately. In a way I do not fully understand, He knew us in Gethsemane and on Golgotha. He knew about all the sins we committed, and He knew about all the wrongs that were inflicted upon us by others, and He forgave everyone who has ever afflicted another and been afflicted. I am thankful I share that knowledge with Peggy.

On the back of the program for her memorial service, we printed a written testimony she offered when she and Harold were serving as missionaries in Ireland. We found it among her papers as we were preparing for her funeral:

"Today is Mother's Day in the United States, and I am missing my beautiful children and grandchildren.
"My heart is overflowing with gratitude to my Heavenly Father for these beautiful children and grandchildren.
"The privilege of partnership with God in bearing and nurturing His children has been the greatest blessing of my life!
"I thank my Father in Heaven for noble heritage, ancestors who pulled handcarts across wonderful country, parents and brothers who love me and taught me to love the Lord, wonderful friends and associates.
"I am so grateful for a fine and noble husband to love me and care for me.
"I am grateful for gospel callings and teachings, for the Holy Spirit to lead, to warn, to strengthen and to comfort me.
"I believe in Christ. I love him with all my heart. I know His power."

5. I am thankful for a blanket of white that now covers Pine Valley. Last night ten inches of snow fell and all the trees are now cloaked in white that sparkles with a brightness beyond description. I said to Patsy as we drove down the road to our three-hour block of meetings this morning, "This is the most beautiful scene imaginable. The winter presents some challenges to overcome, but if you love white this is the place to be." Whenever the Utah ski resorts get a big winter storm before Thanksgiving, it bodes well for the tourist trade in these parts and the water reserves for next summer. We can be thankful for water content in snow.

White is such a remarkable and consistent gospel symbol. We dress in white clothing to go to the temple to participate in all the ordinances of salvation. We are all dressed alike. There is no class distinction there. When Peggy was lying in her casket at her viewings, her white temple dress was the one she selected and told Patsy, "This is the dress I want you to bury me in." In life she was beautiful and arrayed in spotless white when she attended the temple with us, and in death she was translucent, appearing to be at peace in her restful repose and twenty years younger than her 92-plus years.

Babies are blessed in white. Brides are dressed in white. A white shirt is the "priesthood uniform" for boys and men alike. White is the color for all participants in a baptismal service. Often, though not mandated, white bread is the symbol for the sacrament. We wash our garments in the blood of Christ through His atonement, and when we do we are told we are made "spotless white."

And now in the Salt Lake City Cemetery, alongside her beloved Lin, the graves are covered in a fresh blanket of white.

Are We Worthy Enough?

There is a short answer to this question, and it is "Yes."

The long answer deserves a little more explanation.

Let us suppose three cases, all true stories and the details of which I am personally acquainted:

1) A man marries in the temple, he holds several significant callings throughout his life, including bishop, stake president and stake patriarch. At his funeral, some of the grandchildren begin sharing their experiences with each other they had with their grandfather. They discover that several of the grandchildren were sexually abused by this seemingly faithful man. At the time of his death he was serving as the stake patriarch, routinely giving inspired blessings to the young members of his stake, many of whom were the same ages of his grandchildren when he was secretly abusing them. The secrets of this family went undetected and undiscussed for almost two generations. From all appearances this family was a "model" LDS family to all who knew them.

2) A Relief Society President came to confess a secret sin to her bishop. She had become infatuated with a co-worker. They traded e-mails, innocent enough to begin with, but soon the innocent exchanges turned into increasingly explicit love poetry. Soon they were meeting for movie outings during the day. Then lunch followed the movies, then the movies became more and more explicit. Their love for each other blossomed. She was getting attention from this new suitor she was unable to find at home with her husband. A disciplinary council was convened on her behalf. She wanted to remain with her family and her husband. She was disfellowshipped, but a year later was reinstated.

3) A revered Church leader who had served as a bishop, a stake president, then later as a mission president confessed many years into adulthood he had been romantically involved with his administrative assistant for years. He was excommunicated. His missionaries were devastated, the members of his former stake were disillusioned, and many questioned the inspiration involved with the leaders who had called him to all these positions. In time he wrote a book about his life. His repentance was deep and real and painful. But still others questioned his judgment in profiting from his sins of the past. The secrets he harbored about his behavior, notwithstanding, his wife and family rallied around him and he was later re-baptized and all his priesthood blessings were restored in time.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is one of merciful deliverance from evil for those who abandon their sins and come unto Christ. Whether in this life or the next, the conditions for forgiveness are the same. The ordinances performed by the two priesthood brethren cited are recognized and ratified in heaven, even though the participants were "unworthy" to perform them. Since none is completely "worthy" in every way, the instruments will always be flawed in some particular, and should not foster doubt in the efficacy of the work of salvation. Legion are the examples of young men who administer the emblems of the sacrament to their fellow ward members on Sunday, and yet their behavior on Saturday night was anything but indicative of "worthiness" to perform those sacred ordinances. Hypocrisy is almost a given isn't it?

Worthiness, then, becomes a matter of degrees. We get on a path at baptism leading toward exaltation and eternal life. Our path twists and turns through mortality. Few walk a "straight and narrow" path flawlessly. I know of none who has or ever will. When secret sins are harbored and remain hidden sometimes for years, and yet men continue in their priesthood duties undeterred through many temple recommend interviews, lying and covering up their past sins without remorse until they are "caught," of course there are logical questions of worthiness that arise.

There is a corollary here too: Parenting. Sometimes children get the vibe from their parents who are driven by the need to have perfectly behaved children that they never will be "good enough" to measure up to their parents' lofty expectations. They become discouraged and give up. The quest for perfection is simply too much for them to continue. I labeled this "The Impossible Gospel" many years ago. Some sons think they can never be "worthy enough" in their fathers' eyes, and some daughters think they will never be "competent enough" in their mothers' eyes.

Of course, these thoughts are silly and should not stand in our way to accomplishing what we know we must as we mature and separate out from our parents' watchful care taking of us. The transition from being parented to becoming the parent is often traumatizing to some because of these perilous and false thoughts and expectations. I hope no one gets trapped in this stage of natural and normal progress in mortality.

Here's the reality of parenting - no matter how "great" our parents were, we are all scarred by what parents do or don't do to us and for us. Be kind with each other. Forgive generously. Move on gracefully without harboring the painful memories and replaying them again and again. Don't get stuck in misery.

Patience with each other is required. Harsh judgment for those who falter is not the same treatment we would choose for ourselves. And so we must become as patient as Heavenly Father must be with us. We learn by doing.

Have you ever had the experience of hearing about someone who was called to a responsible position in the Church, and yet based upon your own personal interactions with that person in their past life you know them to be "less than" worthy enough to perform in the office to which they are called? Do you wonder if they might also be having feelings of being "less than" they wish they were? Do you believe these are almost universal feelings others may have? Do you assume they never accessed the benefits of Christ's atonement in their life the way you have have in yours? Are you willing to condemn them for past sins you KNOW about, and yet exonerate yourself for your own hidden sins? Do you take comfort in the public display of another's weakness and remain smug that your secret sins go undetected?

We are all sinners. We all come short of the mark when it comes to the lofty ideals of the gospel compared to our actual performance in mortality. Remember, this is all a test, and most are struggling just like you when you flounder with the details. When long-cherished sins are finally exposed to the bright sunlight of truth, we are grieved, and those who are closest to us are likewise affected and grieved. Yet none of this invalidates what a fallen, imperfect person has accomplished for good during their lives. While we must develop understanding and empathy for one another, it may be just as important for us to give ourselves some of the same too.

The requirement is repentance, NOT perfection or the expectation of it any time soon.

Some wives punish their husbands brutally for their mistakes, and some find it difficult to excuse even when sincere repentance is in evidence. A breach of trust is difficult to repair. That's when Satan is at his most powerful in our lives. He thrives on harsh judgments. He is a master at hardening hearts. "I trusted you then," one would say, "and you betrayed me. How can I ever believe anything you ever say again?" When she begins to examine her own life, however, she finds she has withheld as much, then she is fearful she will be treated with the same judgment from her husband she has imposed upon him. And Satan drives those wedges of doubt and fear deeper until the marriage splits. He loves the conflict, the drama and the anguish growing out of the sins he promises will have no consequences. His greatest lie is the one about "victimless sins." Believe me, there is no such thing. Actions bring consequences. When we pick up a stick, we pick up both ends.

What is needed in all these cases is a broad brush of forgiveness. I've learned this is very hard work. When one of the combatants steps away from the conflict, there is no longer a war. When I have been discouraged with relationships, especially family relationships, I have heard a gentle whispered encouragement from my Mother, who died fourteen years ago, "Try one more time, David." It is an unmistakable voice of patience and love.

Of course, there are many situations where forgiveness and repentance just aren't enough, but those situations often suffer from a lack of willingness to extend the balm of Gilead to each rather than a lack of power to heal from the Savior. His love is perfection.

I counseled a couple for many months who found it difficult to remember why they had gotten married in the first place. I granted a temple recommend to the husband with reservations that I knew he was "not worthy" to go, but hoping to rekindle his love for his wife. I instructed my stake president about the course I was recommending to them and asked him to sign this brother's recommend despite my misgivings. I was acting on a prompting that suggested if they could go through an endowment session together, then spend an hour sitting side by side holding hands in the Celestial Room, then going on a sealing session together, there might be a chance to rekindle their marriage covenant. The last time I checked (and this was many years ago) they had six children.

I suggest we trust God. All our husbands and wives are His children first. He knows them better than we do. He also understands the fallen condition we face in mortality. If He had to rely upon conferring priesthood responsibilities only on "worthy" people, He might have easily decided to give the priesthood to women. That way He might be better assured of all the ordinances being performed in perfection.

However, mortality is what it is. We are sent here on a mission to purify ourselves through the blood of Christ. We are also told there is no other way, and no other name given under heaven by which we can be saved from sin and death and made pure. We are told we must never play in the gutter and avoid soiling our best Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes. But in mortality we routinely find ourselves in the gutter. . .

And it's hard to avoid getting dirty.

Have You Been Validated?

My Uncle Bruce was a famed psychologist. He often spoke about the need for children to "have their ticket punched" by their parents. By that expression, he meant parents held in their hands the indispensable key to their children's existence. If parents believe their children have value and they are able to transmit that belief to them, children can go on to becoming worthwhile and productive adults. Withholding that validation sometimes proves ruinous to the development of children.

Like the train conductor in the Polar Express, "punching someone's ticket" by recognizing their innate worth as a marvelous human being, though flawed, is liberating. Let's be honest, we're all flawed beyond hope, we're all sinners, except as we are redeemed in the perfection of Christ through our sincere repentance and reliance upon Him.

The stories are legion of parents who neglect their children. Sometimes that neglect is overt and openly hostile. We've been watching a lot of Christmas movies this month where the theme has been the destructive separation that occurs in families when parents and children become estranged. We've witnessed so many contrived and seemingly petty plot lines this month. Of course, in all Christmas movies there must be conflict, resolution and happy endings. But sometimes in life it is not always so simple. Everyone in real life will tell you "it's complicated." The dynamics of human relations are always complicated, and by design we get ample experimental lab material to work on - that material comes to us in the form of parents, children, siblings and in-laws. Each of us has what sometimes seems like an inexhaustible supply, and we would wish for less if we could escape having to deal with "Uncle Harry" in our life. However, we are expected to experiment on each other until we, not they sometimes, get it right. It's Heavenly Father's plan for us.

And life is fleeting. We have all learned in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre that even the most innocent children can be snatched away in death in an instant. There are no guarantees when we live in a world where evil is ever-present before us.

Spouses are separated, become indifferent to each other and become strangers, even enemies of each other in some cases, when love at the altar was first sealed in their marriage vows. Husbands who were once loving and treated their wives well become angry and bitter. They are repeatedly warned by Church leaders that they will be held accountable for every tear their wife sheds that can be traced to him as the cause. Protecting and cherishing that most important of all human relationships with our spouses is paramount.

Parents often reject their offspring for a host of reasons. Once filled with hope and a positive outlook for their children, parents become disillusioned over the lack of "acceptable performance" in their children. And that is a highly subjective standard. It is hard sometimes for parents to communicate adequately what those standards look like, and confusion and resentment result. Instead of helping their children's development, they will often look outside their family circle for examples of other people's children who are excelling and achieving. To the detriment of their own children, parents will cite others as the shining example and sometimes without even knowing what they are doing destroy the self worth of their own children.

Children often look at their parents and see all the warts, the hypocrisy and the double standards their parents deploy to impress others at the expense of their integrity. Honesty, which earnest parents once sought to instill in their offspring, is sacrificed for one worthy contingency after another. Children lose confidence in parents, when all that was necessary was a proper teaching about the gospel of self-awareness and repentance. Admitting one's own flaws and demonstrating a desire to do better through deeds, not mere words, does much to bolster confidence of children in their parents.

Once again, that is a highly subjective standard. Most parents will fail in those judgments their children make about them. Children can judge harshly and unfairly, often failing to recognize pure motives where there was no intentional desire by the parents to harm them. What so often happens is that parents and children become estranged because of distance in miles from each other. It becomes easier and easier to stay away, to distance themselves from each other in ways that go beyond the miles of separation. Emotional support for one another erodes until there is no relationship left.

There are such simple acts of kindness we are willing to bestow upon total strangers, but withhold from our "less worthy" family members. For years, expressions of love and validation are sparingly dispensed if at all. Time stretches into years. You've all seen the movie plots. So many of them are based upon true stories.

In those true stories sometimes there is never a reconciliation at Christmas time or any other time. We mortals are prone to hold grudges, pass judgments, and write people off without so much as a preliminary hearing from them. We are more confident in our own judgments and decrees against those in our families than we ever are when we hear similar stories about total strangers. Why is that?

I can't help wondering if it is because Satan has as his stated purpose the work of destroying families in every way imaginable. The legalization of gay marriage is guaranteed to produce no offspring. From the moment Adam and Eve set foot in the garden of Eden, he has always known if he could separate the man from the woman he could thwart the plan of salvation, which is dependent upon "the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39 and Moses 4). In order to bring about immortality and eternal life, there must first be mortal life, created in partnership with God by a man and a woman united in the holy bonds of the new and everlasting covenant of marriage.

So in this effusive spirit of Christmas goodness and perfection, try validating those closest to you. Instead of making them pass some sort of litmus test of your own devising, try suspending judgment. Try forgiveness. Try saying the words, "Will you forgive me?" Or better, "I forgive you." Or if they've never heard you say it before, "I'm sorry." My mother used to refer to those as "magic words."

They are magic because they have healing power. They validate. They punch someone's ticket.

And when you say them, make sure there's a smile on your face.

"Take Hardest Problem First, Best Way To Improve"

Not everything we do in life yields to our first impulse. We charge down a path, thinking we are headed toward a desirable outcome, only to find we have been wrong in our initial impressions. Even more frequently we are tempted to "sit this one out," reluctant to make the attempt to begin until the "time is right," or we feel "inspired" to move forward. Often results are achieved only after a long struggle in patience and faith.

This can be true in many of our pursuits in life. I'm thinking of young people who wait and postpone opportunities for marriage, schooling, employment or other endeavors. Often, newlyweds postpone having children until school is finished, until a home is purchased, or whatever else some feel needs to be in place before moving forward. How many of us have sat at our desk at work day-dreaming or avoiding diving into a difficult task, and manufactured excuses for putting off something we know must be done in exchange for an easier task?

Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote to his benefactress, Nadezhda von Meck, dated March 17th, 1878, and found in the 1905 volume The Life & Letters of Pete Ilich Tchaikovsky (public domain):

"Do not believe those who try to persuade you that composition is only a cold exercise of the intellect. The only music capable of moving and touching us is that which flows from the depths of a composer's soul when he is stirred by inspiration. There is no doubt that even the greatest musical geniuses have sometimes worked without inspiration. This guest does not always respond to the first invitation. We must always work, and a self-respecting artist must not fold his hands on the pretext that he is not in the mood. If we wait for the mood, without endeavouring to meet it half-way, we easily become indolent and apathetic. We must be patient, and believe that inspiration will come to those who can master their disinclination.

"A few days ago I told you I was working every day without any real inspiration. Had I given way to my disinclination, undoubtedly I should have drifted into a long period of idleness. But my patience and faith did not fail me, and to-day I felt that inexplicable glow of inspiration of which I told you; thanks to which I know beforehand that whatever I write to-day will have power to make an impression, and to touch the hearts of those who hear it. I hope you will not think I am indulging in self-laudation, if I tell you that I very seldom suffer from this disinclination to work. I believe the reason for this is that I am naturally patient. I have learnt to master myself, and I am glad I have not followed in the steps of some of my Russian colleagues, who have no self-confidence and are so impatient that at the least difficulty they are ready to throw up the sponge. This is why, in spite of great gifts, they accomplish so little, and that in an amateur way."

Last night, speaking with someone on an unrelated topic, I recounted an experience I had years ago with a Japanese engineer on the golf course. We were at a business retreat on the Monterrey Peninsula at a beautiful destination resort. Many will know that the Japanese people are disproportionately passionate about the game of golf. They join expensive country clubs just to get on the links and avoid long wait times at public courses. Of course, there isn't a lot of real estate in a small country like Japan that can be allocated to expansive patches of greenery like a golf course. The demand for golf in Japan far exceeds the supply.

On this particular day I was partnered with my engineer friend from Japan in what was to be a four-man "best-ball" scramble. It's a popular format for business gatherings because it speeds play and compensates for those who are hackers. There are several variations, but generally all four players tee off and then the ball that lands in the best position is the ball the rest of the foursome plays on the second shot, and so forth.

This day, however, I was surprised when my friend stopped at the worst ball of the four first. One of our foursome was an obvious rookie at golf, and had dribbled a poor tee shot barely fifty feet off the tee. At least it was in the fairway. I said, "No, you don't understand the format, we play the best ball (which happened to be my tee shot about 275 yards up the fairway)," to which he responded, "No, it's you who does not understand. Take hardest problem first, best way to improve game."

I relented, and learned a valuable lesson from my Japanese playing partner. We came in dead last, and it took us a long time to get around the course, consistently playing the worst ball of our weakest playing partner that day. At the end, my friend turned to me and asked, "Did game improve for you today?" I thought about all the tough shots I had been forced to hit in the round, and had to admit, "Yes, we hit some pretty difficult shots today, it was an exceptional practice round." He smiled and said, "Very good, now you thinking like Japanese." He wasn't the least bit interested in who had the low score that day. What he cared about most was eliminating the "muda" from his game.

What my friend taught me that day was what Tchaikovsky had mastered. Move ahead in life even when conditions are not optimal. that's how we progress and learn - by doing the things that are not easy first.

In America we often pursue what looks easiest to us first, just the opposite of the way my engineering friend attacked a problem. We avoid the hard things for as long as we can. Of course, these are generalities and may not apply to every case, but think and ponder for a moment about what is going on in the political realm in America. What is the political class doing? They are blaming each other, refusing to work together for the best interests of America, and by postponing the work on the hard problems of our fiscal crisis, we continue to languish and atrophy as a nation, stuck in the miry clay of our anemic economic recovery. Rather than tackling the hardest problems first, what do we get out of Congress and the White House? The bare minimum of effort, and very little evidence of leadership willing to take on the really tough problems of entitlement reform, debt reduction and deficit elimination. I read the poll results this morning that only 14% (an all-time low) believe their children will be better off than they are today.

On a personal note, I have a brother who suffered a massive stroke about a month ago, following a massive heart attack last year about this time. The physicians and nurses who attended him during that first week said they had never seen a more severe bleed from a stroke than this one (three areas of the brain were affected). In emergency surgery a fourth of his skull was removed to relieve the pressure on the brain. He was intubated with a ventilator, a feeding tube and a tracheotomy to save his life. He lost all functionality on his left side which was paralyzed permanently, according to his doctors. He could not swallow, he had trouble breathing on his own, he could not speak in addition to the paralysis. His lungs were filled with the dreaded hospital-acquired MRSA super virus. For four weeks he languished, hovering between life and death, his pacemaker was turned off and we were all saying our farewells and preparing ourselves for another funeral.

And then (there is no other word), he miraculously responded when all mechanical and medical interventions to save his life were withdrawn.

He has literally been snatched back from the brink. Who knows why? Maybe it's because there's some unfinished "muda" that needs to be attacked and removed first before he can move on. That's pure speculation on my part, but seldom does deferring the muda clean-up in our lives result in long-term happy outcomes. When we leave it until the end when the stakes are much higher, it's often harder to deal with than if we had tackled it in the beginning - when it was the hardest problem back then - and we weren't particularly feeling like taking it on that day.

As a general rule, like my friend the Japanese engineer suggested, it's better to tackle the hard things first.

Muda - Jesus Christ Cleans It Up

Taiichi Ohno, 1912 - 1990

In business management studies over the years, beginning with Taiichi Ohno, "muda" became a buzzword for eliminating waste from the enterprise.

Ohno was an executive for the Toyota Motor Company. He was the chief architect of Toyota’s mission, vision and strategy after World War II. Ohno recognized that competing with Ford, GM and Chrysler by applying the principles of mass production would be impossible.

Tiny Toyota was producing fewer cars each year than Ford was each day, so Ohno focused on intimately understanding what customers want and were willing to pay for and then eliminated everything else.

Muda is the Japanese equivalent of "waste" in English, and the term stuck. Books, blogs, management studies and countless symposia have been sponsored and executed worldwide based upon his pioneering concepts. As Americans watched, Toyota slowly but surely overtook its "Big 3" counterparts, management experts began to take notice, and men like James Womack and Daniel Jones in the early 1980s began writing in earnest about the Toyota phenomenon.

The gospel equivalent is easy to illustrate. "More or less" is the Lord's way of reminding us of the precision with which He has laid out the path to salvation for each of us. It is "straight (sometimes strait) and narrow." On either side of the path - too much or too little - there is danger.

Jesus Christ was the premortal Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament. He came in the meridian of time to take upon Himself a body of flesh, blood and bones like ours. He was the foreordained Only Begotten Son of the Father. He is and will yet be the Promised Messiah, who will visit the earth again, this time as the glorified and resurrected Being destined to rule and reign up the earth during the Millennium and beyond.

In His role as Savior and Redeemer, He sacrificed Himself as a ransom to pay the price justice demands from each of us whose lives are constantly filled to varying degrees with muda. As we repent and give all our muda to Him, we are cleansed, "leaned out," and we become more productive

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

In the last General Conference, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf presented another classic address, this one titled "The Merciful Obtain Mercy."

In short, it was a two-word exegesis: STOP IT! Said he: "This topic of judging others could actually be taught in a two-word sermon. When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following: Stop it!" 

Under the heading of today's post, all of it and more is muda. He even suggested some bumper sticker wisdom, when he observed, "It was attached to the back of a car whose driver appeared to be a little rough around the edges, but the words on the sticker taught an insightful lesson. It read, 'Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you.'”

When we come unto Christ and obtain mercy, our charge is then to spread it around liberally to everyone else. Those who have obtained mercy through their own repentance process, are in a much better position to extend it to others, and we are reminded by President Uchtdorf that we receive no better than we give. How can we be expected to receive mercy at the judgement seat someday, when we refuse to treat others mercifully?

There is a high gospel standard expected of disciples: “I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive,” but then He said, “… of you it is required to forgive all men.” (D&C 64:10).

Is it easy? No. Is it possible? Of course.

One of the interesting teachings of applying lean principles to the manufacturing process is this: Perfection is sought, but discouraged. As perfection is approached by eliminating waste, lean proponents will advocate going back and starting again to make further improvements to prevent complacency and the false premise that perfection has been obtained, because while perfection is desirable it can be self-deceiving.

And so it is with us. By mentally filling out our checklists and satisfying ourselves that we are near-perfect in our performance in this or that category, we deceive ourselves. There is always room for improvement, and we must constantly guard against believing all is well.

When it comes to removing muda, each of us still has a lot of work to do. And when it comes to the Perfect Practitioner who removes it best, we need look no further than the Redeemer of Israel.

Thoughts on Father

Helen and Brent Goates

There is nothing to compare with being the father of a righteous posterity. I said "righteous," not perfect. For me the definition might be a little different than what you may have heard. "Righteous" equates to "repenting" with me.

The record of  people contained in The Book of Mormon is where I take my cue - sometimes the Lamanites were righteous because they were repenting. The Nephites were righteous too, but only when they were repenting.

This business of repenting and forgiving must be the reason we were organized into families. We get to use all that fertile lab material readily available to us in the most intense personal relationships we can imagine. We have family members. Sometimes we love each other. As we grow older we learn to loathe them, anger arises and gives vent in our hearts, and sometimes we actually have to relearn love in our old age. Whatever the case may be, we will all admit learning to love one another is often a lifetime endeavor not easily mastered, yet we long to be more like Heavenly Father and sooner or later we must learn to love just like He does.

Bishop Goates, 1954

We can learn much from the lessons of the scriptures about our own lives. In recent weeks I have been reflecting about the life of my own father, Lesley Brent Goates, who celebrated his 90th birthday. He was born on a memorable day - 2-2-22 - Groundhog Day. In their later years it was the practice of my parents to annually rent the Bill Murray movie on his birthday and watch together. Mom passed away on Easter weekend, 2000. He still misses her intensely. Life without her has not been easy, but bearable in the knowledge he will once again be with her. Theirs is a marriage that was "sealed" in the temple for time and for all eternity.

The fanciful ideal of true love is commonplace among mankind, whether they have a knowledge of the restoration of priesthood keys or not. Every so often a movie comes out to remind everyone of how eternal our spirits are by nature. "Ghost" is an example. "Sixth Sense" is another. Our spirits live on beyond the grave, awaiting the day of resurrection where they will be reunited with the bodies now entombed in the grave.

Helen Lee Goates

There is little doubt in Dad's mind that he will see Mom again, not only to be reunited in the spirit world when he dies, but also in the resurrection of the dead on the morning of the first resurrection when it comes. That is why Mormon funerals are always so full of hope. Death is never the end. In death one merely walks through a door into a different room, but there is nothing permanent about death. It is a temporary stage of progression.

As I reviewed Dad's life and put together a slideshow for the occasion, I was reminded of all his good qualities. I surveyed a life well-lived. From the moment he put his feet on the straight and narrow path leading toward eternal life, his footsteps never faltered, he never deviated, nor did his devotion to the truth and building the kingdom of God on earth ever slacken. His is a remarkable record of achievement, perseverance, hard word and unstinting discipleship. It is a life worthy of emulation, to be sure.

Helen and Brent, 1975

The thing that was impressed upon me again and again was his perpetual smile. The goodness of his soul, the strength of his eternal spirit, radiated out to me in picture after picture. It didn't matter whether he was in high school, serving as a missionary in the last group of missionaries who went to Texas during World War II, or all the years of his working life. In it all there was his radiant smile, constantly glowing and ever-present.

His was an extraordinary life of discipleship. At an early age his desire to obey God was stamped into his DNA. He had faults - he was full of them - and as his oldest son I could easily document them. I saw the best and the worst of him. It's strange, somehow, isn't it that when we grow older the faults of others seem to dim in our memories, permitting us to focus almost exclusively on their goodness. Thank the Lord for a faltering memory as you grow older, allowing us to remember the best of times and deselect the worst.

Huntsman Games Hall of Famer

So it is with Dad. He has managed to live long enough for this son to see only into his heart, the purest essence of his eternal spirit now occupying an increasing feeble physical frame. In recent years he became an inductee into the Huntsman Senior Games Tennis Hall of Fame. He hit a lot of tennis balls in his life, and now his exploits on the court are forever enshrined.

He hit a lot of those balls with me. I finally beat him when he was a mission president, and if you press me to the wall I'll tell you I "let" him beat me up until then just so I wouldn't shatter his brittle ego. He was a phenom on the courts, and from his earliest days until he just couldn't physically pick up the racket any more his twisting second serve took a wicked "up and away" hop off the court that was nearly impossible to return even at a slow pace.

State Doubles Champs (l to r),
Brent Goates and Chauncy Peterson
vs. Rick Warner and Billy Koch

When he was once a striking 6'1" (with all that youthful hair he would have looked about 6'4"), he now barely clocks in at about 5'3". In recent years he has become the amazing shrinking man due to chronic and painful arthritis and scoliosis and osteoporosis of the spine. His spine and aorta on an x-ray look more like the winding Mississippi, where once in his youth he stood ramrod straight as an arrow and excelled at basketball and tennis.

My love for Dad has grown intensely in this past month as I put together the slideshow of his life. I suppose there are few sons who really arrive at "getting" their Dad. Father and son relationships are somewhat like Mother and daughter relationships. It's complicated. On the one hand you love them for all they have done for you, on the other hand you wish they'd just butt out and let you do it yourself. When they offer a helping hand, often even money on the barrel head without a moment's hesitation when you need it most, you return thanks by your ingratitude and indifference until you need their resources again. And even then you sometimes hate them for their willingness and eagerness to rush to your help. Like I said, it's complicated.

I mentioned we could learn a lot from studying the lives of our scripture heroes. Father Jacob, whose name was later changed to Israel, was such a patriarch. The very name "Israel" suggests so much, a chosen people down through all the ages of the earth's existence. It was of Israel, as a people, to whom the Lord referred when He said, "Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. . . he kept him as the apple of his eye." (Deuteronomy 32:9-10). "And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh," Moses was instructed, "Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn." (Exodus 4:22). Elsewhere we learn more about Israel as the Lord's people, "But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend." (Isaiah 41:8).

Despite her routine backward slides as a people, the record all through Isaiah reflects, "Yet my hand is stretched out still," reminding us all that a necessary mid-course correction in our own lives is always in order and desirable because whenever and wherever it occurs, we are immediately welcomed back into the bosom of the Father and the Son as though we had never deviated.

The innocence of Christmas Eve

Any father in mortality who is making every effort to honor his covenants with God will find his burden immediately increased when a son transgresses for a season. The innocence of youth is too frequently replaced with sin and transgression. Sometimes the path back is torturous, long and winding. When a son rebels and turns his back on the very One with whom the father has made the covenant to obey, honor, sacrifice and serve at all costs, it is painful.

There are numerous examples in the scriptures of these fathers, almost without exception most are the revered patriarchal fathers with whom we are so familiar. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and before them Noah and Adam immediately spring to mind. We learn much about parenting rebellious sons from Lehi's and Sariah's family in the early chapters of The Book of Mormon. Each has one or more sons and daughters who rebelled against God and turned away from their covenant blessings. Most blamed their parents on the way out the door. The trend continues to this very hour. Blaming others, particularly your father or mother, for every ill that besets you has never been more fashionable, and it has never been more in error than today. No matter how badly you were treated as a child, it is possible to reclaim the ground you think they stole from you. It is forever possible to forgive them, forgive yourself and get back on the path, cherishing the best your parents offered, and rejecting their worst traits while still loving them.

June 24, 1946, a new Goates/Lee generation begins

Consider Jacob's agony with his posterity. Reuben, the birthright son, his firstborn, committed adultery with one of Jacob's wives. He had received a stunning pronouncement in a blessing from his father: "My firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength. . ." (Genesis 49:3). Imagine the blow to Jacob upon learning of his son's adulterous behavior. The burdens a man must carry in life as he moves forward with his posterity in the deep roiling oceans of life are magnified considerably by the disobedience and rebelliousness of any members of his family. Often, children are burdened by the same disobedience and willful rebellion of their parents, so let's not imagine the burdens only operate in one dimension.

At various times in his life we have record that at least four of Israel's sons were deviant in their discipleship, adding sorrow to their father. All of his sons except little Benjamin were culpable in the plot to kill Joseph at one time. Reuben saved him from certain death at the hands of his brothers by suggesting they should just throw him into the pit instead, and later it was Reuben who attempted to retrieve Joseph from the pit to deliver him back to his father. (Genesis 37:21-22, 29). Even Judah had no appetite for Joseph's blood. (Genesis 37:26-27). But the nefarious plot to destroy the birthright son was hatched up in "group think" among all the brothers because like so many families today, one righteous member of the family became the scapegoat for the sins of all the rest. Jealousy, envy, pride, desire to cover one's own sin -- all qualify as motivations.

Sometimes Satan is enabled by our self-deception to the point the truth becomes convoluted and twisted beyond recognition and a fantasy world ensues where distinguishing between truth and error becomes nearly impossible. We come to believe and defend a lie. The whole history of the Nephite and Lamanite civilization is ample evidence of what can happen.

Ute hoopster, 1942

The story of Israel's sons and their devious plot, while not completely known to him at the time, would have been enough to break the spirit of the average man and possibly even cause him to reject his family. But Israel was no ordinary man. Neither is Brent Goates. He never abandoned them, even the worst of them. Israel knew his eternal possibilities with his numerous posterity. He trusted in the promises. He also knew those promises were only going to come to pass through his posterity, so he never gave up reaching out to them, succoring them, feeling after them. In short, he was trying to become like God himself. He knew and believed in the infinite love and mercy embodied in the atonement of Christ. He knew and trusted in the limitless availability of repentance and forgiveness, and their ultimate redemption.

So he sailed on through the troubled waters of his tortured familial relationships, never wavering, never doubting and offering an example of constancy in faith. He turned neither to the right nor the left -- he charted and kept an undeviating course in righteousness, because he must certainly have known in time his sons would one day be gathered back into the family fold and they could repair together the harm that had come to them if they could find the path again he had forged for them through the "great deep." He had a clear vision of his divine destiny. Generations came through his faithfulness. We are the blessed recipients of his goodness today. He chose to endure with faith and hope, even when his father's heart was broken.

Certainly Israel would accept some blame for his children's wayward natures. After all, like all mortal men, every father passes along undesirable traits of personality. Perhaps a quick temper, an angry temperament that flashes judgmental decrees, or a tendency to meet out swift and seemingly harsh discipline without empathetic listening skills. Some intense fathers (not singling anybody out here) have even been known to lecture their children well into their adult years, so earnest and eager is their desire to correct their obvious faults. All this causes friction and tension in families.

But rest assured. God does not wander around heaven wringing His hands daily over the obvious deviations of his sons and daughters living here on earth in mortality. Instead, even He bows beneath the rod of moral agency, and gives each the maximum latitude to make choices, reminding them they alone are accountable for those choices. Blame your fathers and mothers if you like for all your sins, He would say if He were here, but realize that only when you one day come to your senses and look yourselves in the mirror can you begin to see more clearly what you need to do. That usually involves repenting, and only you can do it if you will. God leaves the decisions all up to us, and in family life we all get ample opportunities to learn how to repent and forgive. We're all family lab rats, and we all get to experiment on each other.

Bruce, Brent, Helen
Audrey, Leda, Les Goates

We all came from somewhere (someone) and we're all headed somewhere (with lots of someones). There's a reason the bridal sealing rooms are flanked on each side with mirrors on the walls to remind us life is eternal in both directions.

One can imagine a father like Israel forgiving nearly everything except something that disastrous like your firstborn birthright son having sex with your own wife, and yet even that, we learn, was forgiven. It cost Reuben losing his birthright to younger brother Joseph, but the record shows even the tribe of Reuben will one day be gathered back in with all the others to receive in time ALL the birthright blessings in full. Sometimes change takes time, and sometimes only the passage of time and the rounding out of all the sharp edges can make of each of us a polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty, like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all the righteous patriarchs who followed in their wake.

Men like Lesley Brent Goates. Happy 90th Birthday to you!

Dad's fond of saying these days, "I'm the last leaf on the tree, and the wind's blowing harder." He's at the end of the path leading to the tree of life, and in not too many days hence he will partake of its fruit. At his funeral there will be no sorrow in his passing. He knows, and we all know, what will happen next when he passes through that door up ahead.

In death, for him, there is nothing but deferred rejoicing awaiting him.