#GiveThanks for Blessings

Helen and L. Brent Goates

It's that blessed season of the year when we can step aside from the demands of the world and #givethanks for the many blessings we enjoy. This is Thanksgiving week. I begin by giving thanks for the life of my father, L. Brent Goates, who passed to the other side this week five years ago. I love my Dad, and I still miss him every day since his passing. I find myself still reaching for the phone to check in on him, only to realize he won't be picking up the phone. Even the house he lived in has been demolished and replaced by a new home with new owners. What is left behind is a lifetime of memories of him and Mom. Giving thanks for them is a cherished part of this week's celebration.

Mom had this picture taken of them for no special reason, simply because it captured them in their "prime." They were a great example to all of us, and we still miss them when we gather as a family. 

Dad was a Utah fan for most of his adult life until he defected to the "dark side" and turned himself into a BYU fan. Some things in life are simply and emphatically inexplicable. But this week, he would be exulting in both football teams being nationally ranked. 

Whether red or blue, there has been plenty to cheer about this week, and I especially give thanks that on the eve of his 62nd birthday Kyle Whittingham officially became the winningest coach in Utah football history with 142. His team toppled No. 3 Oregon before a record crowd at Rice-Eccles stadium by a score of 38-7. Seriously, who can't be thankful for that? 

So, consistent with its history, the PAC-12 teams have once again beat up on each other this year to knock all the teams out of consideration for a national championship berth in the BCS bowls. I know it's just whimsical in comparison to all the more meaningful things in life for which I am grateful, but I will allow a little whimsy now and then. 

Utah will now contend for the PAC-12 championship in Las Vegas in December, then if they win out will likely get the Rose Bowl bid, a long-sought goal for Coach Whittingham.

This last few weeks we have been celebrating a new missionary in our family, Elder Alexander James Goates. On Sunday we gathered at their ward to hear him give his farewell talk prior to his departure for Peru. He is a great young man, excelling in areas where he has put his focus, including starting his own outfitting business and giving guided tours for fishermen in the Uintas, being a nationally recognized spikeball champ, and of course an outstanding scholar. He will be here for Thanksgiving dinner, then he will be headed out to Peru to take up his labors as a full-time missionary for the Church. We #givethanks for Alex. What a powerful example of goodness and humility!

General Ulysses S. Grant

I have been reading the complete memoirs of President Ulysses S. Grant recently. He was a contemporary of Joseph Smith, and it was his leadership during the darkest days of the Civil War that ultimately produced the victory for the Union troops over the Confederates. We often lament how divided we are today in our politics. You might want to consider reading Grant's memoirs for a little bit of perspective. He rose through the ranks as a somewhat reluctant though willing participant because he believed so ardently in the cause of holding the nation together despite the divisiveness of the country over the slavery issue. Like so many of his predecessors and successors as leaders of armies, he viewed war with absolute disdain and abhorrence because of the waste of men and material. Stories are told of battlefields so littered with dead bodies that one could scarcely walk across and find ground upon which to walk. He is a pivotal figure in our history as a nation and his words in his autobiography are inspiring. He was known in the end of the war as "Lincoln's General," and President Lincoln turned over the conduct of the war without interference from him. He would later be elected as the 18th President of the United States, and was still working on holding the fragile coalition of the states together. Grant might easily have been with the Lincolns at Ford's Theatre that fateful night, but Mrs. Grant was eager to return to their home to visit their children. Grant often lamented the fact that he had been absent, thinking he might have prevented the assassination if he had gone to the theatre that night. Booth also had Grant on his target list. So I #givethanks for heroes proved in liberating strife in our nation's history who filled such a vital role in our destiny as a free nation.

Gratitude for Living Prophets

Since the conclusion of last weekend's General Conference, my thoughts have been pre-occupied with the sweet memories of the messages of the speakers. I would have to say the very end of the conference was especially gratifying for those of us who heard President Nelson's announcement of a new temple coming to the Wasatch Back in Heber City, Utah.

Conference Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

It was the first time in recent months that the conference shifted back to the familiar confines of the Conference Center's expansive auditorium. Even though the general public was not admitted and the number of choir members was reduced in compliance with ongoing COVID-19 restrictions as a precaution, it was still powerful and edifying throughout.

I was moved to tears as emotion swelled up within me, thinking how powerful it was to hear the plain and simple truths expressed by our leaders. It has been tempting for some to proclaim the pandemic was God's way of punishing His children for disobedience, but you have never heard a Church leader make such a pronouncement. Instead, what we heard was a call for greater patience, understanding and empathy for everyone around us. There were so many gentle and loving appeals for civility and encouragement to stamp out hatred, bigotry and racism.

Elder Dale G. Renlund

Perhaps the highlight, at least for me, was Elder Dale G. Renlund's masterful address, entitled "The Peace of Christ Abolishes Enmity." In his talk, Elder Renlund spoke about his experience with the Finnish saints at the dedication of the Helsinki Finland temple in 2006. They had longed for that temple and sacrificed to bring it to fruition. In a temple committee meeting as they planned the events of the temple dedication, it was decided to allow their Russian brothers and sisters who had travelled great distances to have the privilege of attending the temple sessions on the first day of general operations. Elder Renlund explained his own father, a proud Finn, had criticized his Russian enemies throughout the years. Finns and Russians had fought wars against each other for centuries. When Elder Renlund explained what had happened to his father, he wept. He never again uttered a hateful word about the Russians until his death three years later.

The discipleship of the Finns came first, and was put above all other considerations. We have covenanted to become one in our Savior and He has broken down all barriers between us. Enmity is not of Him. 

The silly arguments that have persisted since the pandemic first was unleashed upon the world in 2019 have made me marvel at how easily we seem to be distracted. It has always been the case, it seems, that pandemics have a way of suggesting that God must be punishing someone, since its effects are unleashed in such an indiscriminate way. 

When Zion's Camp was making its way to Missouri, cholera broke out among the participants. Many died, many more became ill. Those who contracted the disease, it was thought, were in need of repentance, though no one knew the disease was transmitted from simply sharing infected cups, drinking water and utensils. 

Even the Savior was asked once, "Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?" Note the immediate assumption that someone was a sinner if they got sick or had an impairment. The Savior flatly said, "Neither hath his man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." (John 9:1-11). The Savior rendered no judgment, but sought to reach out to all who were afflicted, and He never made a value judgment about their worthiness to receive a blessing. He met them where they were in their lives, and He lifted and blessed them. We are taught to minister as He ministered "in a higher and holier way." Are you willing to make those same faulty judgments on your brothers and sisters today if they get sick with COVID-19 and you don't?

President Russell M. Nelson

President Russell M. Nelson highlighted our need for strengthening our spiritual foundation. In his Sunday morning remarks, entitled "The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation" he explained that refinements and adjustments have periodically been made to temple ordinances without changing underlying eternal doctrine. Sometimes in the temple we are guilty of focusing on the method of the instruction instead of the content. He invited us to examine our own lives to determine how we can strengthen our foundations in faith by making needed changes. The Restoration is a process, he said, not an event. The ongoing objective is how to bring the availability of temple covenants to the people wherever they live in the world. Ongoing revelation to our leaders will show the way ahead. Recent procedural adjustments have continued to be made. The Lord  wants us to have spiritual insights. He invites us to "Hear Him." 

The Lord is actively leading the Church. We must center our lives on Him. He leads through inspired living prophets among us. Of that fact I am a witness.

California Wildfires, Hurricane Ida, Smoky Skies, Kabul Afghanistan

This week I have been preoccupied with thoughts about the ongoing wildfires in the Western United States. There seems to be no end in sight. Indeed, those fires may not end until winter weather finally snuffs them out with snow and cold. Our air quality index in Utah is bumping up against the dangerously high levels of toxicity every day, and has for months. We used to be concerned about air quality in the winter with temperature inversions, but now air quality is a year-round issue. The suffering of those on the frontlines of those fires is inestimable, and is the subject of our daily prayers for their safety and deliverance. The first responders who have been battling those wildfires deserve our faith and prayers on behalf of those who suffer most. 

On the very anniversary of Hurricane Katrina that so devastated New Orleans sixteen years ago, Hurricane Ida, a category 4 storm pounded into the Gulf Coast last week in another devastating natural disaster that defies description. I am agonized over those who are left behind in the wake of the destruction. It is said the storm's severity may grow worse than it was in Katrina. 

The smoky skies we are living through here in Utah are bad enough, but pale in significance compared to the other natural disasters we are witnessing. Some days the normally bright blue skies are so shrouded in smoke it is impossible to make out the outlines of the mountain tops that surround us. The winter inversions are normally confined to the bowl of the valleys in an around Salt Lake City, but this smoke has permeated even our elevated position in the Uintas. 

The smoke is the perfect metaphor for the conditions in the world when it comes to discerning between truth and error. So pervasive is this smoke that it obscures the vision, burns the eyes, and gets right down into your lungs. The ever-declining moral standards are clearly defined. 

An evidence of the debauchery can been observed in the appointment of a self-avowed atheist as the new head chief chaplain to Harvard University. Observing this obvious decline in what is happening to universities around the country, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland addressed the issue at BYU Education Week, and has been sorely taken to task on the social media platforms for daring to plead with faculty and administration at the institution to remain true to their charge and their unique place in the education world. Imagine a religiously based institution daring to stand up for itself in today's toxic and smoky world. How dare Elder Holland for suggesting it! What is he thinking? Doesn't he know it's time to capitulate to growing secular pressure and cave in? Well, in fact, Elder Holland was courageous and he was right. You can have all the free speech your little heart desires out there in the world, but when it comes to going too far and violating time, manner and place restrictions with your free speech targeted against the Church, be advised that religious minorities have long-held protections against such bullying and attacks and you will be met with appropriate responses with all the loving kindness and patience the Church's leaders can muster.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland at BYU

The tragedy that has unfolded in Afghanistan recently is yet another example of wickedness and evil in the world. The evacuation of US troops, Afghan civilians and American citizens has been horrible to observe as the Taliban moved into Kabul unopposed and began slaughtering the innocents at will, forcing our military to leave behind all the equipment they had used seeking to maintain some degree of order in the country. When the Russians invaded Afghanistan years ago, they learned it was a country that could not be governed except by the local Taliban chieftains. Now, presumably, we have learned the same sad lesson. That war in Afghanistan has been protracted into twenty plus years of occupation, and now suddenly the administration of Biden-Harris has declared it was time to leave. It's the longest war in which America has ever been involved. Those who have lost loved ones there may well be asking, "What was it all for?" 

In the midst of chaos we have now pulled out. Americans are weary of war. It is that very chaos in public opinion that produced the violence and the unintended consequences we have witnessed. When asked about it, President Biden took full responsibility for his decisions. We will have to see if the electorate holds him accountable. Politicians from both parties, however, have plenty of innocent blood on their hands. In the meantime we have much for which to be grateful if we are out of harm's way because of those who fight in the frontlines to preserve our freedoms. 

We have much to be grateful for, but we can also pray for those who are doing their best to relieve the suffering of others not so fortunate.

How About a Little More Happy?

It's time to leave the travails of the Boy Scouts in our rear view mirror and move on to more optimistic thoughts for the future. I was asked the other day why I would put that news front and center in my blog, and my reply was, "If I am going to chronicle our lives and times, it must include some dark clouds and thunderstorms once in a while or it wouldn't be accurate."

This summer has brought some welcome developments in our lives. Like the Olympics, we postponed for a year our family reunion due to COVID-19 restrictions. But this year we gathered for the first time in four years, and we had an unmitigated blast of fun, frivolity and spiritual feasting together. We gathered everyone - all twelve of our living children and their families were in attendance. The last time that happened was when our youngest daughter Merilee was married to Michael Litchfield, and even then it was only for about two hours for pictures at the reception. We felt as though we were all blessed for being there. Power comes when we are all united in the spirit of family love and togetherness that simply cannot be replicated on Zoom or Marco Polo. The strengthening of those family bonds was clearly in evidence.

Speaking of the Olympics, if you can disassociate from the increasing politicization of the messaging and the mind-numbing commercial interruptions, there was a lot to like. I loved watching the women's volleyball team's march to the gold. Men's basketball and women's basketball was mostly a yawner because they were expected to win, but the volleyball was fun to see. Fun to watch Rudy Gobert playing for France (they took silver), and Joe Ingles playing for Australia (they took bronze). I loved that Xander Schauffele and Nelly Korda walked away with gold in men's and women's golf. They were both beset with challenging fourth rounds, and yet both triumphed through the adversity. 

Swimming and gymnastics were also inspirational for a host of reasons. Who doesn't love Katie Ledecky? She has circumnavigated the globe in the number of miles she has put in while training and competing during her life, and she says she will be there in Paris in 2024 doing it again. Men's swimming was dominated by Caeleb Dressel. Faster, indeed! 

MyKayla Skinner and Simone Biles

Watching Simone Biles wrestle with her emotional and mental challenges, then return in the last possible moment to capture a bronze medal on balance beam was humbling and motivating. MyKayla Skinner snagged silver when Biles withdrew from the vault. For both those young women a long gymnastics career has finally come to its close. Both have overcome inestimable obstacles to set an example of perseverance and consistency. And who will forget Suni Lee capturing gold for America in the all-around gymnastics final? Not many would have predicted that outcome as the games began. There are always a hundred stories of the journeys each athlete has taken to be part of the Olympics. Who were some of your favorites during the Olympics? Why do you love their stories? 

Not many people gave the Tokyo games much of a chance of happening. COVID-19 was still raging in Japan, and the groundswell of opposition to the games from the locals was deafening. But the organizers and the athletes persisted and the result was a triumph of the human spirit. We should have learned something from watching these athletes who were beset with all kinds of ups and downs in preparation for their participation. When there is a will to do in the hearts of the participants, there will be a way to prevail. 

We had our first ward summer party in a long time this summer. It was a tribute to those who put it on that the participation was so strong. Great turnout, fun activities, and great food. It's hard to imagine just how isolated we have been, but this party illustrated that we are all better together than apart. I taught the elders quorum lesson last Sunday, and for the first time in I can't remember when it was not broadcast via Zoom, perhaps a harbinger of better things to come. So fun to once again be interacting face to face.

Since the family reunion our pot gut population has retreated to I don't know where. We reclaimed our territory, I guess, and our sheer numbers have scared them all off. Maybe you can examine your personal life and decide where you can take back some territory from the varmints that may have infested your world. It's a good thing for the pot guts that they've scattered, because now I have installed a 6x scope on my .22, and now that it's zeroed in they will not survive their interactions with me in the future. What installations are you making to fortify yourselves?

President Henry J. Eyring

I loved a video that came online today from President Henry J. Eyring of BYU-Idaho in which he is urging his students to get vaccinated if they can before they return to school in Rexburg. His comments were well-reasoned, including the need to be mindful of the residents of the small communities in Idaho which would surely be impacted if an outbreak were to occur there. He also cited concerns about the limited medical and hospital resources in the community. It seems like so many other things in our society, the need for vaccinations has become a political conversation having nothing to do with public health.

I'm watching the air quality index (AQI) every day now, as smoke from California and other western states continues to fill our skies in Utah. Remarkably, we here in Utah have been able reduce the number of huge wildfires this year, but our skies are shrouded with smoke from surrounding states that is fouling our air. Today the AQI has dropped to 109 (it was 151 on Monday) where I am, but that's still a number that has profound health implications. The particulates are smaller and more toxic than the usual winter inversions we suffer in Utah. 

I saw a remark by Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) the other day where he said he hoped and prayed climate change was caused by man because then we might be able to do something about it. Wherever you land on that argument, be assured that we can and we must do what we can to reduce the harmful impacts we are witnessing this summer. If it isn't COVID-19, it's a variant. If it isn't drought, it's a flood. If it isn't wildfires here in Utah, it's wildfires in California or Montana. If it isn't vaccines, it's masks. If it isn't a government mandate, it's the opposition to a mandate somewhere. The debates seem exhausting don't they?

Let's agree on this: It's been a wonderful summer, and it's made us happier than last summer. So how about taking a giant scoop of a little more happy?

The Boy Scouts Settle Sexual Abuse Cases for $850 Million

It gives me no pleasure to note the announcement this week that the Boy Scouts of America have settled sexual abuse cases in the amount of $850 million. Last year the organization declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and this latest announcement is yet another sign of its slow and precipitous decline.

Down 61% in membership since 2019, it should be obvious to even its most ardent supporters that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made the right choice in distancing itself from the Boy Scouts. Its current curriculum for young men is infinitely more advantageous than the old one that included Scouting. These latest revelations about sexual abuse were long rumored and are now confirmed by the court cases that proved their veracity.

For many years, I wrote about the tenuous relationship between the Church and the Boy Scouts. I always believed we could find a higher and better path than tethering ourselves to scouting as it has compromised itself into weakness. You can read my extended reasoning here in 2003, and here in 2013 . 

Estimated at 84,000 individuals who were affected by sexual abuse at the hands of Boy Scout leaders, it was so sad for me to read that these victims are now in their 60s and 70s. It has taken all these years for this first wave of cases to be resolved for the first 16,800 who filed suits. There will be years of future court cases and potentially billions of dollars in settlements to be paid out. This first settlement is the largest child sex abuse case in U.S. history. How ironic that it has arisen from a Scout Law that advocated for moral turpitude among its members.

I can still recite the Scout Law from memory: A Scout is: Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. Sadly, now if you search Google for "scout law" what you end up with is references to "scout law suits."

We are living in a day of declining moral values. As young scouts, we internalized the Scout Law as obedient participants, but now we know there were predators among the ranks of the leaders who preyed upon the youthful boys in their troops. Those facts will continue to emerge in the years ahead. There may be fewer and fewer who will be traumatized by these details, but there are still many who will feel the ripples in the pond from the actions of those perpetrators for generations yet to come. Often the victims of sexual abuse become the practitioners. 

We can agonize all we want about how wicked the world has become, but it is all a fulfillment of prophecy: "And until that hour there will be foolish virgins among the wise - and at that hour cometh an entire separation of the righteous and the wicked; and in that day will I send mine angels to pluck out the wicked and cast them into unquenchable fire." (D&C 63:54).

We are moving toward that day of final separation, and it should not surprise us when these tragic stories are broadcast to the world. Black is becoming blacker and white is becoming whiter. We all have a precious gift to choose God first and discern truth from error: "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." (2 Nephi 2:27).

I have abiding and profound confidence in the living prophets who preside in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our current Prophet uses words like invite, plead, encourage, and promise to help us find peace in this ever-darkening world around us. Read again the words of President Russell M. Nelson as he delivered the closing sermon at the General Conference in which he was sustained as the President of the Church:

Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.

My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation. Let this Easter Sunday be a defining moment in your life. Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.

With Moroni, I exhort you on this Easter Sabbath to “come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift,” (Moroni 10:30) beginning with the gift of the Holy Ghost, which gift can and will change your life.

We are followers of Jesus Christ. The most important truth the Holy Ghost will ever witness to you is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He lives! He is our Advocate with the Father, our Exemplar, and our Redeemer. On this Easter Sunday, we commemorate His atoning sacrifice, His literal Resurrection, and His divinity.