I'm an old architect...employed by Design West. Back in 2000, Design West had a client…Jerroll Winget, who was a friend of Merrill Osmond. Merrill was based in Branson, Missouri. He had been asked by then LDS Church President Kimball, to go to Branson to “make friends for the Church”. He did. He had been performing in Branson with his brothers for ten years.
I was in our Salt Lake City office one day for a conference call with Merrill Osmond. Jerroll was present. The bottom line was that there were some business opportunities in Branson…Merrill asked Jerroll to come to Branson, with an architect. To sweeten the invitation, Merrill said that whoever chose to come would be invited to the Osmond Brothers' dinner show as guests of the Osmonds…and also invited to a couple of special events. One event was the baptism of Merrill’s business manager, Kevin Reno…the other was the very first reunion of the Joseph Smith Jr. family, which Merrill was helping to organize. My associate Richard Heindel and I decided to go… and we took our wives.
Some time prior to this event, Merrill had met Kim Smith Davis. It was the habit of the Osmond Brothers to greet fans in the foyer after each show. Kim approached Merrill in this setting. She informed Merrill that she was the great, great grand daughter of Joseph Smith Jr…and she had some questions about the mainstream LDS church…she did not want to join his church, but she wanted to understand some of the history…why some Saints went west to Utah, while others stayed in Nauvoo. Merrill obliged…Kim later joined the LDS Church.
Shortly thereafter, Kim felt compelled to organize a reunion of the descendants of Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith. It was a sensitive assignment. Most descendants of Joseph had grown up being advised never to mention their heritage…there was embarrassment…there were shattered relationships within the family…and animosity toward mainstream Mormonism. Merrill agreed to help Kim organize a reunion.
Merrill had received his own compelling spiritual prompting. He had a dream in which Joseph Smith appeared to him….told him that his descendants were hurting…he asked Merrill to help “heal my family”. So Kim and Merrill collaborated on a reunion. The reunion was held in the Hughes Family Theater…it was poorly attended, but we thought it was wonderful.
Kim Smith Davis was the MC…the invocation was given by Joseph Fielding Smith (Kim’s father)…Merrill told his story…Gracia Jones, the first member of Joseph’s family to join mainstream Mormonism, spoke of her experiences…and her discovery that there were over 400 descendants of Joseph living in Australia. Merrill and Gracia made pleas to the family to come together in unity and love…and pledged their love and support to that end.
There followed some role playing: Jason Hughes, a descendant of Newel Knight, read from family records about the Knight family and their love for Joseph Smith. Nancy Eppert, dressed as Emma Hale Smith, presented a moving monologue about Emma’s life. The Hughes Brothers re-enacted the scene in Carthage Gaol, while Ryan Hughes sang “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief”…I don’t think that I have ever heard it sung better…or with more feeling. There was poetry and singing…and Kim closed the meeting. It was a very special experience. We were honored to be there.
Gracia’s words hit a chord with us. She said something like “Everyone here today was handpicked by the spirit of this family to be here.” We discussed this later, remarking that even though we were not part of the family, we somehow felt included in Gracia's prophetic pronouncement. What were we even doing there? There was a certain serendipity in our being present to witness this first reunion of the Joseph Smith Jr. family.
Kathie and I had the opportunity to meet Kim’s parents, Joseph Fielding and Sue Smith. We learned a lot about Kim. She was, on that very day, literally escaping from her husband, with her two children. It was a very tense, difficult time for the family. The Smiths were long-time members of the Temple Lot Group, the splinter Mormon group which owns/maintains the dedicated temple site in Independence, Missouri. The group had about 2,500 members. The Smiths were lovely people...and so proud of Kim. They were amazed by the transformation in their daughter since joining the LDS Church. “If you had known her before she joined the Church, you would not believe the change in her. That she could stand up there and conduct an event like this, is a miracle in itself.” Sue Smith confided to Kathie that she had had a dream herself, in which she was informed that there were big changes coming into her life. We have wondered about that over the years. We even stopped at the Temple Lot one year, during a visit to Independence, and asked the attendant if he could direct us to Joseph and Sue Smith. He acted as if he had never heard of them.
I had a video camera and actually videoed the Smith Family reunion. Without a tripod it was not easy…and without any real talent at filming it was not very professional. So I did nothing with the video for some time. We showed it to our study group, but that was it. Some time later I asked Scott Harris, who was a high school instructor in video production, if he could edit my video…take out some of the jiggles…insert some titles, etc. He agreed…but he did not do anything. It became almost a joke. Every time I ran into Scott, I would ask if he was ever going to finish editing my video. Years went by.
Scott’s wife Laura is a photographer...she photographs and videos weddings. Kathie met her at a wedding, liked her work and engaged her to photograph our family at our annual reunion in August. Since one can rely on women to get things done, Kathie asked Laura to apply pressure on Scott regarding the Joseph Smith DVDs. Within the month the job was completed. By the first week in September, 2008, we had 25 DVDs to distribute.
Then the problem was how to distribute the DVDs…to whom?…where?. I immediately thought of Gracia Jones who lives in St. George or Hurricane. But I needed her email address…or phone number.
Then I flew off to Sydney with Shane, Andy and Cody who were assigned to lay carpet in the Sydney LDS Temple. It was a pure whim on my part. Because Andy is a commercial pilot I can fly anywhere inexpensively. For those who don't know, I was born in Perth, Australia...joined the LDS Church in 1961. Sydney is where I served a mission in 1964/65...where Kathie and I met...where we have a lot of friends.
We were assigned to the Temple Patron Housing. We were told that there were other people staying there who were making a documentary about Joseph Smith’s descendants in Australia. We met a couple of women that first day. I asked if they were “with the movie group”…they were…so I asked if the movie was based upon Gracia Jones’ research?...yes…did they know her email address?…yes they did. Wow! That was easy. So I emailed Gracia…she emailed back, saying that she would be happy to help. I noticed that she had copied Michael Kennedy. I did not know who he was.
A couple of days later we were invited to a special showing of the movie "Emma". The gentleman who introduced the movie to the mainly LDS crowd was Michael Kennedy. Wow! Another surprise. He turned out to be the president of the Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society. After the movie I asked him for his card, telling him that I would like to send him a DVD, which he might appreciate.
The very next morning I met the woman who had given me Gracia Jones’ email address. She turned out to be the wife of Michael Kennedy. This was getting weird...I could not believe it...we were all living in the same building. I thanked Sister Kennedy for giving me Gracia’s email address and explained that I had received a response from Gracia…and that Gracia had agreed to help me distribute the DVDs of the first Joseph Smith Jr. reunion. I told her that I especially wanted to get DVDs to Kim Smith Davis and her parents. She smiled and said “Come with me”. She led me to the kitchen where a group was gathered for breakfast. She said…”Kim, this gentleman would like to speak with you.” It was Kim Smith. My head was spinning. What was happening?
Kim and I talked. She divorced her husband shortly after the reunion in 2000 and dropped the name Davis. She introduced me to her two children, now teenagers. She is now living in Nauvoo, Illinois. I asked about her parents. Her mother Sue joined the LDS Church...her dream came true... but her father Joseph has not…not yet. Kim was actually embarrassed by the poor turnout at the 2000 reunion…I'm not sure that she was happy to discover that someone had recorded the event. But I suggested that her 2000 reunion was a wonderful “gentle beginning”, from which great things have evolved.
I still cannot believe it. I had goose bumps on goose bumps. I flew to Australia for five days, on a whim, and found the very family which I needed to locate in order to distribute the Joseph Smith Jr. reunion DVDs.
How does one explain this? It certainly cannot be explained in any rational, pragmatic sense. It was definitely serendipitous…more likely spiritual. Time will tell. Kathie even asked “Are you sure that you do not have any Smiths in your Australian family lines?” Since I am a family history nut, I had better check.
After writing this entry, I woke in the middle of the night with the strong impression that I should not equivocate. Rather, I should testify boldly that this entire series of events is clear evidence of the hand of the Lord in our affairs here on earth.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Five Days Down Unda
Shane Falslev, our son-in-law, (husband of Angie) has a carpet laying business in Cache Valley. He must be good, because for the past eleven years he has been invited to lay carpet in LDS temples around the world. He was recently asked to take a crew to the Sydney Temple. Our son Andy volunteered to go with him. Andy is a commercial pilot with Sky West, but he has worked for Shane before and chose to take a week off. One of the great perks about being a commercial pilot is that Andy can fly just about anywhere in the world for free…or close to it. The really best perk is that Andy’s parents get to fly free also. So I invited myself. What a deal!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008: Andy planned out our day…stand-by to Los Angeles…so we took an 11:00 AM flight to ensure that we could make the 10:30 PM flight to Sydney. No problem. Andy gave me his first class ticket and sat in the back of the bus. What a son! We arrived in Los Angeles with 10 hours to spare. Big problem. We could not check-in for the Sydney flight for six hours. The real problem was that Shane had asked us to take two of his tool boxes, because we were travelling light, but allowed to check two bags each. Because we were flying stand-by to Sydney we did not check our bags straight through. That was a mistake; we were stuck with heavy tool boxes, could not get boarding passes, therefore, we could not get past the ticketing gates. So we rented a car.
Jill Smith, our travel agent, (and Kathie) lined up a car for us, from some off-line rental company…$47 for the day. There are probably pros and cons going that way, but personal attention is a real pro. The one person in the trailer office was very friendly…she gave us a Chrysler Sebring convertible. We went to the beach…ate Argentinean empanadas from a street vendor…snoozed in a park…it was a tough day. As with Kathie in Pittsburgh, I had my own “welcome to the big city” experience when I went to the public rest room at the park…but we won’t talk about that.
The flight to Australia was tough. First class seats allowed us to sleep in comfort most of the way. I’m starting to really appreciate Andy…he’s the man! We lost Thursday somewhere.
Friday, September 26, 2008: We learned something at the Kingsford Smith International Airport, in Sydney. As dual US/Australian citizens, we were advised to enter and depart Australia on our Australian passports…and re-enter the US on our US passports. There was no hassle…just friendly advice.
We rented a car. Jill Smith did it again. $152 for the week. The gal behind the Hertz counter was again very friendly. She asked where we were staying in Sydney. We did not know, so we gave her my step-mother Margo Wegener’s address. Then the gal asked…”Are you going to the temple?” “What? How did you know that?” She apparently noticed Andy’s CTR ring…and she was Maori. Mormons and Maoris are everywhere! She gave us a hot Toyota four door sports car…real zippy.
Problems arose with the vehicle immediately. The steering wheel was on the wrong side. On that first day I attempted to enter the car from the wrong side four (4) times…actually made it into the seat twice. It is always a shock to discover that the steering wheel is gone. Andy noted that it is also disturbing to look at the car next to you on the freeway and discover that there is no-one in the (US) driver’s seat. It was disturbing. The next day I only tried to get in on the wrong side once. Quick learner.
Kathie will appreciate that I turned on the windshield wipers numerous times…instead of the turn signal. Some idiot reversed the locations. I’m a slow learner on that one…never quite got over it.
I asked Andy to drive at the airport, but he declined, suggesting that he would do better as a navigator. Sure! He was immediately lost… I took a wrong turn…missed a freeway entry…we stopped to regroup. After that we were a pretty good team. We even found Margo’s home in North Strathfield without any problem…and we arrived at the temple just minutes before Shane and Cody pulled in. They were met at the airport by a Church employee.
Margo is still Margo…now 84…and pretty sharp…except that she repeats herself frequently…but at 84 that’s her prerogative. She was pleased to meet Andy, whom she thought was “bloody handsome”. She said…”too bad I’m not a lot younger”. We left Margo with a three ring binder with our latest family photos.
Our accommodations were at a motel which was purchased by the Church for patron housing. Since the temple was closed for repairs there were no patrons, but there were other guests. One group was from Florida…LDS musicians who were performing somewhere. The other group was with a movie company…working on a movie about the descendants of Joseph Smith in Australia. I asked if the movie was based upon Gracia Jones’ research…it is. They gave me Gracia’s e-mail address, so we could contact her about our video of the First Reunion of the Joseph Smith Jr. Family. Gracia responded saying that she would help me distribute the CDs upon my return.
The boys, Shane, Andy and Shane’s nephew Cody Creech, went right to work. It is hard work. They were jet-lagged and exhausted at the end of the day. Back at the housing the boys were entertained by laughing kookaburras and warbling magpies.
We were told that there are big changes coming to the temple complex. The temple is actually being downsized to a mini temple. The maintenance personnel have been trimmed from four to one, as of Jan 31…when a new Presidency will take over. And all 40 positions at the Area Church Offices will be transferred to New Zealand.
Saturday, September 27, 2008: The guys worked all day while I worked on Family history…in the temple. It can’t get much better than that. Talked with Alan Murrin…met the Temple Recorder…John Parton…grandson of the Stake Patriarch, when Kathie and I were in Sydney in 1964/65.
Sunday, September 28, 2008: We attended Church at the Greenwich Ward, where Kathie and I first met; it was a special experience, marred only by one speaker who was a BYU co-ed who used BYU football hysteria as a metaphor in her talk…made Andy quite uncomfortable. I was glad that Kathie was not present. The highlight was meeting Babe Enoka (Williams) who was leading the music. Babe abd I used to sing together in a quartet...Babe, Rakapa Parata, Les Young and I. Met Howard Jeffree again. He offered to take me touring tomorrow.
I actually tripped on the steps going into the Greenwich Ward. Told Andy that this is where I “fell” for his mother too.
Following Church we drove out to Manly Beach, where Andy was the only one to brave the cold water…the body surfing was great. We had planned to drive across the Sydney Harbor Bridge, but the traffic was so heavy that we gave up the idea. Driving in Sydney is much like driving in Pittsburgh…tunnels and all…just much bigger.
Monday, September 29, 2008: Today is the 43rd anniversary of my departure from Australia. Where has the time gone? And how interesting is it that I am back in Sydney, from whence I departed. I’m sitting here looking at the gum trees (eucalyptus), watching the birds, which this morning include parrots and pink and grey galahs…and listening to all the sounds. I love this place.
The boys went off to work and Howard Jeffries picked me up at 8:00 AM. I knew Howard in Sydney back in 1964/65. He was at the dinner which Alan Murrin hosted for us last year. He became an architect and spent the last half of his career working for the Church. He is now retired. He recently moved and now attends the Greenwich Ward. We drove the “loop” road, which took us out into the country. I enjoyed the beautiful OZ trees. We visited Max Maine, who was the architect in charge of the Australian Building Program in 1964/65. Max is now in his eighties, living with his daughter. He gave me a copy of his personal history. Howard bought me a copy of an Australian classic "A Fortunate Life" by A. B. Facey...saying that it was a must-read for a bloke from Perth.
Howard helped us get tickets for a special showing of “Emma” at the Fox Theatres in Sydney. The “National Tribute Band”…the musicians staying at the Patron Housing…gave a concert ahead of the movie. They tied their music to the early Mormon experience. The movie was marvelous…certainly helped our understanding of and appreciation for Emma Hale Smith. I met Michael Kennedy, who is President of the Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society...asked for his card so that I could send him one of my Joseph SMith Reunion DVDs.
Doug and Robin Hann were at the movie. It was good to see them again. I would like to spend more time with them.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008: The boys had hoped to be done by today, but the job took most of the day to complete. I had promised Margo that I would bring the crew over to meet her so we did that before dinner. When I told Joe Cicli (main temple engineer) that I was taking the crew to meet my step-mother…he looked at me carefully and said …”How OLD is she?” That cracked up the crew.
Wednesday, November 1, 2008: We had some spare time this morning so we went to the Featherdale Animal Preserve, on the way to the airport. The flight home was fast…and first class. We had a 100 + mph tailwind and arrived an hour early…in 13.25 hours. We slept for 7 hours straight…watched a couple of movies and read…and ate lobster. We arrived in Los Angeles 4.5 hours before we left Sydney…now that’s fast.
So we had a fast, furious and fun few days in Sydney. It was great!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008: Andy planned out our day…stand-by to Los Angeles…so we took an 11:00 AM flight to ensure that we could make the 10:30 PM flight to Sydney. No problem. Andy gave me his first class ticket and sat in the back of the bus. What a son! We arrived in Los Angeles with 10 hours to spare. Big problem. We could not check-in for the Sydney flight for six hours. The real problem was that Shane had asked us to take two of his tool boxes, because we were travelling light, but allowed to check two bags each. Because we were flying stand-by to Sydney we did not check our bags straight through. That was a mistake; we were stuck with heavy tool boxes, could not get boarding passes, therefore, we could not get past the ticketing gates. So we rented a car.
Jill Smith, our travel agent, (and Kathie) lined up a car for us, from some off-line rental company…$47 for the day. There are probably pros and cons going that way, but personal attention is a real pro. The one person in the trailer office was very friendly…she gave us a Chrysler Sebring convertible. We went to the beach…ate Argentinean empanadas from a street vendor…snoozed in a park…it was a tough day. As with Kathie in Pittsburgh, I had my own “welcome to the big city” experience when I went to the public rest room at the park…but we won’t talk about that.
The flight to Australia was tough. First class seats allowed us to sleep in comfort most of the way. I’m starting to really appreciate Andy…he’s the man! We lost Thursday somewhere.
Friday, September 26, 2008: We learned something at the Kingsford Smith International Airport, in Sydney. As dual US/Australian citizens, we were advised to enter and depart Australia on our Australian passports…and re-enter the US on our US passports. There was no hassle…just friendly advice.
We rented a car. Jill Smith did it again. $152 for the week. The gal behind the Hertz counter was again very friendly. She asked where we were staying in Sydney. We did not know, so we gave her my step-mother Margo Wegener’s address. Then the gal asked…”Are you going to the temple?” “What? How did you know that?” She apparently noticed Andy’s CTR ring…and she was Maori. Mormons and Maoris are everywhere! She gave us a hot Toyota four door sports car…real zippy.
Problems arose with the vehicle immediately. The steering wheel was on the wrong side. On that first day I attempted to enter the car from the wrong side four (4) times…actually made it into the seat twice. It is always a shock to discover that the steering wheel is gone. Andy noted that it is also disturbing to look at the car next to you on the freeway and discover that there is no-one in the (US) driver’s seat. It was disturbing. The next day I only tried to get in on the wrong side once. Quick learner.
Kathie will appreciate that I turned on the windshield wipers numerous times…instead of the turn signal. Some idiot reversed the locations. I’m a slow learner on that one…never quite got over it.
I asked Andy to drive at the airport, but he declined, suggesting that he would do better as a navigator. Sure! He was immediately lost… I took a wrong turn…missed a freeway entry…we stopped to regroup. After that we were a pretty good team. We even found Margo’s home in North Strathfield without any problem…and we arrived at the temple just minutes before Shane and Cody pulled in. They were met at the airport by a Church employee.
Margo is still Margo…now 84…and pretty sharp…except that she repeats herself frequently…but at 84 that’s her prerogative. She was pleased to meet Andy, whom she thought was “bloody handsome”. She said…”too bad I’m not a lot younger”. We left Margo with a three ring binder with our latest family photos.
Our accommodations were at a motel which was purchased by the Church for patron housing. Since the temple was closed for repairs there were no patrons, but there were other guests. One group was from Florida…LDS musicians who were performing somewhere. The other group was with a movie company…working on a movie about the descendants of Joseph Smith in Australia. I asked if the movie was based upon Gracia Jones’ research…it is. They gave me Gracia’s e-mail address, so we could contact her about our video of the First Reunion of the Joseph Smith Jr. Family. Gracia responded saying that she would help me distribute the CDs upon my return.
The boys, Shane, Andy and Shane’s nephew Cody Creech, went right to work. It is hard work. They were jet-lagged and exhausted at the end of the day. Back at the housing the boys were entertained by laughing kookaburras and warbling magpies.
We were told that there are big changes coming to the temple complex. The temple is actually being downsized to a mini temple. The maintenance personnel have been trimmed from four to one, as of Jan 31…when a new Presidency will take over. And all 40 positions at the Area Church Offices will be transferred to New Zealand.
Saturday, September 27, 2008: The guys worked all day while I worked on Family history…in the temple. It can’t get much better than that. Talked with Alan Murrin…met the Temple Recorder…John Parton…grandson of the Stake Patriarch, when Kathie and I were in Sydney in 1964/65.
Sunday, September 28, 2008: We attended Church at the Greenwich Ward, where Kathie and I first met; it was a special experience, marred only by one speaker who was a BYU co-ed who used BYU football hysteria as a metaphor in her talk…made Andy quite uncomfortable. I was glad that Kathie was not present. The highlight was meeting Babe Enoka (Williams) who was leading the music. Babe abd I used to sing together in a quartet...Babe, Rakapa Parata, Les Young and I. Met Howard Jeffree again. He offered to take me touring tomorrow.
I actually tripped on the steps going into the Greenwich Ward. Told Andy that this is where I “fell” for his mother too.
Following Church we drove out to Manly Beach, where Andy was the only one to brave the cold water…the body surfing was great. We had planned to drive across the Sydney Harbor Bridge, but the traffic was so heavy that we gave up the idea. Driving in Sydney is much like driving in Pittsburgh…tunnels and all…just much bigger.
Monday, September 29, 2008: Today is the 43rd anniversary of my departure from Australia. Where has the time gone? And how interesting is it that I am back in Sydney, from whence I departed. I’m sitting here looking at the gum trees (eucalyptus), watching the birds, which this morning include parrots and pink and grey galahs…and listening to all the sounds. I love this place.
The boys went off to work and Howard Jeffries picked me up at 8:00 AM. I knew Howard in Sydney back in 1964/65. He was at the dinner which Alan Murrin hosted for us last year. He became an architect and spent the last half of his career working for the Church. He is now retired. He recently moved and now attends the Greenwich Ward. We drove the “loop” road, which took us out into the country. I enjoyed the beautiful OZ trees. We visited Max Maine, who was the architect in charge of the Australian Building Program in 1964/65. Max is now in his eighties, living with his daughter. He gave me a copy of his personal history. Howard bought me a copy of an Australian classic "A Fortunate Life" by A. B. Facey...saying that it was a must-read for a bloke from Perth.
Howard helped us get tickets for a special showing of “Emma” at the Fox Theatres in Sydney. The “National Tribute Band”…the musicians staying at the Patron Housing…gave a concert ahead of the movie. They tied their music to the early Mormon experience. The movie was marvelous…certainly helped our understanding of and appreciation for Emma Hale Smith. I met Michael Kennedy, who is President of the Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society...asked for his card so that I could send him one of my Joseph SMith Reunion DVDs.
Doug and Robin Hann were at the movie. It was good to see them again. I would like to spend more time with them.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008: The boys had hoped to be done by today, but the job took most of the day to complete. I had promised Margo that I would bring the crew over to meet her so we did that before dinner. When I told Joe Cicli (main temple engineer) that I was taking the crew to meet my step-mother…he looked at me carefully and said …”How OLD is she?” That cracked up the crew.
Wednesday, November 1, 2008: We had some spare time this morning so we went to the Featherdale Animal Preserve, on the way to the airport. The flight home was fast…and first class. We had a 100 + mph tailwind and arrived an hour early…in 13.25 hours. We slept for 7 hours straight…watched a couple of movies and read…and ate lobster. We arrived in Los Angeles 4.5 hours before we left Sydney…now that’s fast.
So we had a fast, furious and fun few days in Sydney. It was great!
Monday, September 22, 2008
The Great Plan of Salvation
Yesterday Dan Bachman, one of the truly great gospel teachers in my experience, taught a Sunday School lesson, out of "Teachings of the Presidents" (Lesson 17), which was particularly memorable for two reasons:
1. It was his last lesson. Dan has a new assignment as counsellor to the president of the Logan Temple.
2. The lesson took me back to 1961 when I met two missionaries of the LDS Church in Australia...and they taught me about the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ...and the great Plan of Salvation.
As Dan talked my mind went back to that special experience. Was it the story of Joseph Smith and his first vision which captured my attention? Was it the coming forth of the Book of Mormon? Was it the presentation of the Plan of Salvation? I had to conclude that for me, it was without doubt the Plan of Salvation...which in reality encompasses the entire Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Religious discussions with my student friends, while interesting, were never compelling. There were always too many questions...and never an answer to the age old question...who will be saved in the end? What about little children? What about those who never heard of Christ in this life? Most of my friends were Catholics, and while I admired them for their commitment to God and family, it was obvious that I was a lost soul from their perspective.
So following Dan's lesson I asked Paul Norton, who served as a Mission President in Chicago, what was his experience and that of his missionaries, in that regard. He answered quickly..."It was the Plan of Salvation which was that special spiritual experience which led people to baptism". He added "I interviewed a lot of people before their baptism. It was amazing to consistently hear people say..."when the missionaries taught me the Plan of Salvation, it was as if I had heard it all before...it rang true...I wanted it to be true...I hoped it was true...for the first time in my life, everything made sense"."
In short form, the Plan of Salvation (of Redemption, and of Exaltation), as revealed by the Prophet Joseph Smith, is as follows:
We are all children of God.
He is literally our Father in Heaven.
Our individual intelligences have always existed.
The Father created us as spiritual beings...intelligences clothed with spirit bodies.
Jesus Christ was the first born in the Spirit.
There were many noble and great spirits.
Lucifer was among them.
God the Father instituted a Plan for the advancement of His spirit children.
The plan was presented to us in a great council of all spirits.
The Plan involved us coming to an earth, obtaining a physical body, being tested, dying, resurrecting and returning to our Father as immortal beings.
Jesus was the creator of this earth.
We were to be given moral agency...freedom to choose good over evil.
It was obvious that all would sin...and fall short of the perfection necessary to return to our Father.
The Father's plan required that one would need to go to earth to atone for the sins of the world. Jesus volunteered to implement the Father's Plan...the Atonement...and the Resurrection.
Even so, it was apparent that some would be lost, because we were to have choice.
Lucifer presented a plan which would guarantee that all would be saved...if the glory could be his.
Lucifer's plan was attractive to many...it involved giving up our agency, but it was safe.
Our Father rejected Lucifer's plan and accepted Jesus' eternal offering.
There was war in heaven.
Lucifer...and one third of the host of heaven were cast down to earth.
Their punishment was to never have a physical body.
Their commitment was to tempt and torment man...to thwart the Father's Plan.
The Father ensured that His children received guidance through Prophets...and angels.
Jesus , being one with the Father (Elohim), was the Jehovah of the Old Testament
Jesus was born of Mary in the meridian of time.
He was the literal Son of God
He was the only begotten (of God) in the flesh
Jesus grew into manhood without sin...the only such man to ever live on earth.
At age 30 he commenced his ministry.
He did only the will of his Father.
He testified of his Father...that his Father sent him
In his great intercessionary prayer he said: "This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent."
He implemented the eternal Atoning sacrifice.
He took upon himself the sins of the world through unspeakable pain and suffering.
He suffered himself to be slain upon the cross.
He took up his body on the third day.
As a resurrected being he showed himself first to Mary saying: "Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended unto my Father, but go unto my brethren and tell them that I go unto my Father, and your Father, unto my God and your God."
He then showed himself to his Apostles and then to thousands.
He ascended to his Father...and stands by his side to this day.
Jesus was the first fruits of the resurrection.
Because of Jesus, ALL will be resurrected...the just and the unjust.
Jesus promised to send the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Ghost is the messenger of the Father and the Son...the Comforter.
The apostle Paul greeted the Saints of his day as follows: "Grace be with you, and peace, from God our Father and his Son Jesus Christ." That marvellous salutation incorporates the core of the Father's Plan. "Grace" in this context refers to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. ALL will be resurrected through Christ...but only those who accept Jesus as the Christ, who exercise faith in him, who are willing to humble themselves before him and repent of their sins, and be baptized, will be made perfect through the Atonement...and return to the presence of the Father. It is through Christ that we are saved...after all we can do. Salvation in this context refers to returning to the presence of our Father and the Son. Jesus intends to take the truly humble by the hand, and through his Grace, present them to his Father ...pure, and holy, even perfect.
"Grace" in another important context, is an enabling power...power to help each of us deal with the trials of this life, through our faith in Christ. Thus Paul's salutation is a sweet blessing of Power and Peace...in this life...and Salvation in the world to come.
And what about that big question? What about all those who never heard of Jesus in this life? What about the Saviors admonition that we can only enter the Kingdom of heaven through baptism? The grand answer is that ALL will have equal opportunity to learn of Christ and the Father's Plan. All will have the opportunity to exercise their agency. All will have opportunity to repent and be baptized...if not in this life, then in the life to come. "All who will come, may come, and partake of the waters of life freely. But all who will not come, the same are not compelled to come..."
Still...ALL will be resurrected...unto varying degrees of Glory...the highest being...in the presence of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Those who would not be comfortable in their presence will dwell in a kingdom in which they are comfortable. Jesus said: "In my Father's house are many mansions...if it were not so, I would have told you".
Little children are automatic heirs of Salvation...and do not need baptism.
Those born without the capacity to comprehend, are heirs of salvation without baptism.
Those who would have accepted Christ had they been taught of Christ in this life are heirs of Salvation...but require baptism.
Mormons have taken on the immense challenge of identifying their ancestors and baptizing them vicariously "for the dead" in temples which are now scattered throughout the world. I am just one of an army doing this work. It will continue to be my passion until I can no longer do it. Mormons will continue to expand this grand work until the Lord himself comes to accept their offering in righteousness.
It was this grand Plan of Salvation, which captured my attention in 1961. I thought then...it would be wonderful if it is true...I began to hope that it was true...today I can testify that it is true.
1. It was his last lesson. Dan has a new assignment as counsellor to the president of the Logan Temple.
2. The lesson took me back to 1961 when I met two missionaries of the LDS Church in Australia...and they taught me about the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ...and the great Plan of Salvation.
As Dan talked my mind went back to that special experience. Was it the story of Joseph Smith and his first vision which captured my attention? Was it the coming forth of the Book of Mormon? Was it the presentation of the Plan of Salvation? I had to conclude that for me, it was without doubt the Plan of Salvation...which in reality encompasses the entire Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Religious discussions with my student friends, while interesting, were never compelling. There were always too many questions...and never an answer to the age old question...who will be saved in the end? What about little children? What about those who never heard of Christ in this life? Most of my friends were Catholics, and while I admired them for their commitment to God and family, it was obvious that I was a lost soul from their perspective.
So following Dan's lesson I asked Paul Norton, who served as a Mission President in Chicago, what was his experience and that of his missionaries, in that regard. He answered quickly..."It was the Plan of Salvation which was that special spiritual experience which led people to baptism". He added "I interviewed a lot of people before their baptism. It was amazing to consistently hear people say..."when the missionaries taught me the Plan of Salvation, it was as if I had heard it all before...it rang true...I wanted it to be true...I hoped it was true...for the first time in my life, everything made sense"."
In short form, the Plan of Salvation (of Redemption, and of Exaltation), as revealed by the Prophet Joseph Smith, is as follows:
We are all children of God.
He is literally our Father in Heaven.
Our individual intelligences have always existed.
The Father created us as spiritual beings...intelligences clothed with spirit bodies.
Jesus Christ was the first born in the Spirit.
There were many noble and great spirits.
Lucifer was among them.
God the Father instituted a Plan for the advancement of His spirit children.
The plan was presented to us in a great council of all spirits.
The Plan involved us coming to an earth, obtaining a physical body, being tested, dying, resurrecting and returning to our Father as immortal beings.
Jesus was the creator of this earth.
We were to be given moral agency...freedom to choose good over evil.
It was obvious that all would sin...and fall short of the perfection necessary to return to our Father.
The Father's plan required that one would need to go to earth to atone for the sins of the world. Jesus volunteered to implement the Father's Plan...the Atonement...and the Resurrection.
Even so, it was apparent that some would be lost, because we were to have choice.
Lucifer presented a plan which would guarantee that all would be saved...if the glory could be his.
Lucifer's plan was attractive to many...it involved giving up our agency, but it was safe.
Our Father rejected Lucifer's plan and accepted Jesus' eternal offering.
There was war in heaven.
Lucifer...and one third of the host of heaven were cast down to earth.
Their punishment was to never have a physical body.
Their commitment was to tempt and torment man...to thwart the Father's Plan.
The Father ensured that His children received guidance through Prophets...and angels.
Jesus , being one with the Father (Elohim), was the Jehovah of the Old Testament
Jesus was born of Mary in the meridian of time.
He was the literal Son of God
He was the only begotten (of God) in the flesh
Jesus grew into manhood without sin...the only such man to ever live on earth.
At age 30 he commenced his ministry.
He did only the will of his Father.
He testified of his Father...that his Father sent him
In his great intercessionary prayer he said: "This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent."
He implemented the eternal Atoning sacrifice.
He took upon himself the sins of the world through unspeakable pain and suffering.
He suffered himself to be slain upon the cross.
He took up his body on the third day.
As a resurrected being he showed himself first to Mary saying: "Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended unto my Father, but go unto my brethren and tell them that I go unto my Father, and your Father, unto my God and your God."
He then showed himself to his Apostles and then to thousands.
He ascended to his Father...and stands by his side to this day.
Jesus was the first fruits of the resurrection.
Because of Jesus, ALL will be resurrected...the just and the unjust.
Jesus promised to send the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Ghost is the messenger of the Father and the Son...the Comforter.
The apostle Paul greeted the Saints of his day as follows: "Grace be with you, and peace, from God our Father and his Son Jesus Christ." That marvellous salutation incorporates the core of the Father's Plan. "Grace" in this context refers to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. ALL will be resurrected through Christ...but only those who accept Jesus as the Christ, who exercise faith in him, who are willing to humble themselves before him and repent of their sins, and be baptized, will be made perfect through the Atonement...and return to the presence of the Father. It is through Christ that we are saved...after all we can do. Salvation in this context refers to returning to the presence of our Father and the Son. Jesus intends to take the truly humble by the hand, and through his Grace, present them to his Father ...pure, and holy, even perfect.
"Grace" in another important context, is an enabling power...power to help each of us deal with the trials of this life, through our faith in Christ. Thus Paul's salutation is a sweet blessing of Power and Peace...in this life...and Salvation in the world to come.
And what about that big question? What about all those who never heard of Jesus in this life? What about the Saviors admonition that we can only enter the Kingdom of heaven through baptism? The grand answer is that ALL will have equal opportunity to learn of Christ and the Father's Plan. All will have the opportunity to exercise their agency. All will have opportunity to repent and be baptized...if not in this life, then in the life to come. "All who will come, may come, and partake of the waters of life freely. But all who will not come, the same are not compelled to come..."
Still...ALL will be resurrected...unto varying degrees of Glory...the highest being...in the presence of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Those who would not be comfortable in their presence will dwell in a kingdom in which they are comfortable. Jesus said: "In my Father's house are many mansions...if it were not so, I would have told you".
Little children are automatic heirs of Salvation...and do not need baptism.
Those born without the capacity to comprehend, are heirs of salvation without baptism.
Those who would have accepted Christ had they been taught of Christ in this life are heirs of Salvation...but require baptism.
Mormons have taken on the immense challenge of identifying their ancestors and baptizing them vicariously "for the dead" in temples which are now scattered throughout the world. I am just one of an army doing this work. It will continue to be my passion until I can no longer do it. Mormons will continue to expand this grand work until the Lord himself comes to accept their offering in righteousness.
It was this grand Plan of Salvation, which captured my attention in 1961. I thought then...it would be wonderful if it is true...I began to hope that it was true...today I can testify that it is true.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
The Real Culprits in This Meltdown
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Posted Monday, September 15, 2008 4:20 PM PT
Big Government: Barack Obama and Democrats blame the historic financial turmoil on the market. But if it's dysfunctional, Democrats during the Clinton years are a prime reason for it.
Read More: Business & Regulation. Obama in a statement yesterday blamed the shocking new round of subprime-related bankruptcies on the free-market system, and specifically the "trickle-down" economics of the Bush administration, which he tried to gig opponent John McCain for wanting to extend. But it was the Clinton administration, obsessed with multiculturalism, that dictated where mortgage lenders could lend, and originally helped create the market for the high-risk subprime loans now infecting like a retrovirus the balance sheets of many of Wall Street's most revered institutions.
Tough new regulations forced lenders into high-risk areas where they had no choice but to lower lending standards to make the loans that sound business practices had previously guarded against making. It was either that or face stiff government penalties. The untold story in this whole national crisis is that President Clinton put on steroids the Community Redevelopment Act, a well-intended Carter-era law designed to encourage minority homeownership. And in so doing, he helped create the market for the risky subprime loans that he and Democrats now decry as not only greedy but "predatory."
Yes, the market was fueled by greed and overleveraging in the secondary market for subprimes, vis-a-vis mortgaged-backed securities traded on Wall Street. But the seed was planted in the '90s by Clinton and his social engineers. They were the political catalyst behind this slow-motion financial train wreck. And it was the Clinton administration that mismanaged the quasi-governmental agencies that over the decades have come to manage the real estate market in America.
As soon as Clinton crony Franklin Delano Raines took the helm in 1999 at Fannie Mae, for example, he used it as his personal piggy bank, looting it for a total of almost $100 million in compensation by the time he left in early 2005 under an ethical cloud. Other Clinton cronies, including Janet Reno aide Jamie Gorelick, padded their pockets to the tune of another $75 million. Raines was accused of overstating earnings and shifting losses so he and other senior executives could earn big bonuses. In the end, Fannie had to pay a record $400 million civil fine for SEC and other violations, while also agreeing as part of a settlement to make changes in its accounting procedures and ways of managing risk.
But it was too little, too late. Raines had reportedly steered Fannie Mae business to subprime giant Countrywide Financial, which was saved from bankruptcy by Bank of America. At the same time, the Clinton administration was pushing Fannie and her brother Freddie Mac to buy more mortgages from low-income households. The Clinton-era corruption, combined with unprecedented catering to affordable-housing lobbyists, resulted in today's nationalization of both Fannie and Freddie, a move that is expected to cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars.
And the worst is far from over. By the time it is, we'll all be paying for Clinton's social experiment, one that Obama hopes to trump with a whole new round of meddling in the housing and jobs markets. In fact, the social experiment Obama has planned could dwarf both the Great Society and New Deal in size and scope.
There's a political root cause to this mess that we ignore at our peril. If we blame the wrong culprits, we'll learn the wrong lessons. And taxpayers will be on the hook for even larger bailouts down the road. But the government-can-do-no-wrong crowd just doesn't get it. They won't acknowledge the law of unintended consequences from well-meaning, if misguided, acts.
Obama and Democrats on the Hill think even more regulation and more interference in the market will solve the problem their policies helped cause. For now, unarmed by the historic record, conventional wisdom is buying into their blame-business-first rhetoric and bigger-government solutions. While government arguably has a role in helping low-income folks buy a home, Clinton went overboard by strong-arming lenders with tougher and tougher regulations, which only led to lenders taking on hundreds of billions in subprime bilge.Market failure? Hardly. Once again, this crisis has government's fingerprints all over it.
Posted Monday, September 15, 2008 4:20 PM PT
Big Government: Barack Obama and Democrats blame the historic financial turmoil on the market. But if it's dysfunctional, Democrats during the Clinton years are a prime reason for it.
Read More: Business & Regulation. Obama in a statement yesterday blamed the shocking new round of subprime-related bankruptcies on the free-market system, and specifically the "trickle-down" economics of the Bush administration, which he tried to gig opponent John McCain for wanting to extend. But it was the Clinton administration, obsessed with multiculturalism, that dictated where mortgage lenders could lend, and originally helped create the market for the high-risk subprime loans now infecting like a retrovirus the balance sheets of many of Wall Street's most revered institutions.
Tough new regulations forced lenders into high-risk areas where they had no choice but to lower lending standards to make the loans that sound business practices had previously guarded against making. It was either that or face stiff government penalties. The untold story in this whole national crisis is that President Clinton put on steroids the Community Redevelopment Act, a well-intended Carter-era law designed to encourage minority homeownership. And in so doing, he helped create the market for the risky subprime loans that he and Democrats now decry as not only greedy but "predatory."
Yes, the market was fueled by greed and overleveraging in the secondary market for subprimes, vis-a-vis mortgaged-backed securities traded on Wall Street. But the seed was planted in the '90s by Clinton and his social engineers. They were the political catalyst behind this slow-motion financial train wreck. And it was the Clinton administration that mismanaged the quasi-governmental agencies that over the decades have come to manage the real estate market in America.
As soon as Clinton crony Franklin Delano Raines took the helm in 1999 at Fannie Mae, for example, he used it as his personal piggy bank, looting it for a total of almost $100 million in compensation by the time he left in early 2005 under an ethical cloud. Other Clinton cronies, including Janet Reno aide Jamie Gorelick, padded their pockets to the tune of another $75 million. Raines was accused of overstating earnings and shifting losses so he and other senior executives could earn big bonuses. In the end, Fannie had to pay a record $400 million civil fine for SEC and other violations, while also agreeing as part of a settlement to make changes in its accounting procedures and ways of managing risk.
But it was too little, too late. Raines had reportedly steered Fannie Mae business to subprime giant Countrywide Financial, which was saved from bankruptcy by Bank of America. At the same time, the Clinton administration was pushing Fannie and her brother Freddie Mac to buy more mortgages from low-income households. The Clinton-era corruption, combined with unprecedented catering to affordable-housing lobbyists, resulted in today's nationalization of both Fannie and Freddie, a move that is expected to cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars.
And the worst is far from over. By the time it is, we'll all be paying for Clinton's social experiment, one that Obama hopes to trump with a whole new round of meddling in the housing and jobs markets. In fact, the social experiment Obama has planned could dwarf both the Great Society and New Deal in size and scope.
There's a political root cause to this mess that we ignore at our peril. If we blame the wrong culprits, we'll learn the wrong lessons. And taxpayers will be on the hook for even larger bailouts down the road. But the government-can-do-no-wrong crowd just doesn't get it. They won't acknowledge the law of unintended consequences from well-meaning, if misguided, acts.
Obama and Democrats on the Hill think even more regulation and more interference in the market will solve the problem their policies helped cause. For now, unarmed by the historic record, conventional wisdom is buying into their blame-business-first rhetoric and bigger-government solutions. While government arguably has a role in helping low-income folks buy a home, Clinton went overboard by strong-arming lenders with tougher and tougher regulations, which only led to lenders taking on hundreds of billions in subprime bilge.Market failure? Hardly. Once again, this crisis has government's fingerprints all over it.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Cattle Duffers (Rustlers)
Missy's father, Scott Winslow, gave us a great book..."Outback Heroes: Australia's Greatest Bush Stories", by Evan McHugh. It includes a story about Harry Redford, whose claim to fame is that he was Australia's most famous "duffer" (cattle rustler). In 1870, he stole 1,000 head of cattle in Queensland, and with two associates drove them south to Adelaide, a distance of 1,500 K, through previously unexplored territory. It was an epic journey. He was eventually arrested in New South Wales and tried in Queensland, two and a half years after the event. The jury acquitted him, even though the prosecution produced clear evidence of his guilt. The judge was furious. Apparently this was not an uncommon outcome in early Australia, founded as it was by a convict class.
The author explains that Redford had stolen the cattle from land owned by absentee landlords in England. They owned fifteen (15) stations (ranches) and thousands of cattle in Queensland. In fact, when police informed the station managers that 1,ooo of their cattle had ended up in Adelaide as steaks, they scoffed in disbelief. They had so many cattle that 1,000 had not been missed in over a year. So public sentiment was not always on the side of landowners, especially the absentee type. One judge, in a duffing case, complained when the jury returned the following verdict..."Not guilty, but he needs to return the cattle". The judge was enraged by the jury's impertinance and sent them back to continue deliberations. The jury returned with a revised verdict..."Not guilty...and he can keep the bloody cattle." Ah...that's the Australia that I love. It's a great read.
The author explains that Redford had stolen the cattle from land owned by absentee landlords in England. They owned fifteen (15) stations (ranches) and thousands of cattle in Queensland. In fact, when police informed the station managers that 1,ooo of their cattle had ended up in Adelaide as steaks, they scoffed in disbelief. They had so many cattle that 1,000 had not been missed in over a year. So public sentiment was not always on the side of landowners, especially the absentee type. One judge, in a duffing case, complained when the jury returned the following verdict..."Not guilty, but he needs to return the cattle". The judge was enraged by the jury's impertinance and sent them back to continue deliberations. The jury returned with a revised verdict..."Not guilty...and he can keep the bloody cattle." Ah...that's the Australia that I love. It's a great read.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Pole Beans
I've said before that I love my vegetable garden. We have always planted pole beans. They stand over 7 feet tall. They look great. In recent years, we have cut production down to one 50 foot row of beans. That is still way too much, because picking beans is a real pain. Kathie bottles them on occasion, but one batch produces more than we can eat in a year. Every year at this time I wonder why we plant beans. If they are not picked every two days they get "big and gross" as Kathie says, and I throw half of them away. We do share the harvest with neighbors, but I think I grow beans just to keep me humble. There is a metaphor for life in the effort. Only those who have picked pole beans will understand.
I've never seen anyone pick a row of beans perfectly. The little suckers hide. No matter how careful one is, someone else can come along behind you and find a whole bunch more. I just can't believe that I can be so thorough, then look back down the row and see beans hanging in plain sight. What's with that? I spend an hour picking, and in that time it looks like they need to be picked again. Kathie has often walked along the row behind me picking beans, making smart remarks about my harvesting abilities. It's a frustrating job. It's annoying. I understand why our children so disliked picking beans. Well...our children (with the exception of Andy) hated the garden, or any yard work, for that matter. The fact that I always expected the job to be done perfectly probably did not help. And to top it all off, it seems like we fight a running battle with bugs which cut the leaves in the spring and eat beans throughout the summer. Left without treatment, the bugs will kill the entire crop before the end of summer. Even if we dust regularly, the bugs will leave some beans disfigured so that more must be discarded.
But that speaks to the human condition. No matter how hard any of us try, we will not get through the summer of our lives...perfect. We will all make mistakes...no-one is perfect. Before the final harvest, we will all have faced personal battles...our own weaknesses...or the trials of life...or both. There was only one who ever lived who was perfect. Fortunately our Father in Heaven does not expect us to be perfect. He wants us to give it a good try, but he knew long before we came to this earth that we would fall short of perfection. So He came up with a magnificent Plan for our Salvation. His Son volunteered to implement the key part of the Plan. The Atonement wrought by Jesus the Christ satisfies the demands of justice. Based only upon the condition of our humble acceptance of Him as our Savior, and sincere repentance, He intends to take each of us by the hand, at some future day, and present us to His Father, pure and holy, and blameless...even perfect. Whereas, none of us can harvest beans perfectly, the Savior did not fail in His assignment...and none will be discarded.
So maybe I will continue to grow pole beans. They may remind us to be humble...more accepting of the human condition...more willing to love each other...more willing to love the Master Gardener, who loves us more than any of us can imagine.
I've never seen anyone pick a row of beans perfectly. The little suckers hide. No matter how careful one is, someone else can come along behind you and find a whole bunch more. I just can't believe that I can be so thorough, then look back down the row and see beans hanging in plain sight. What's with that? I spend an hour picking, and in that time it looks like they need to be picked again. Kathie has often walked along the row behind me picking beans, making smart remarks about my harvesting abilities. It's a frustrating job. It's annoying. I understand why our children so disliked picking beans. Well...our children (with the exception of Andy) hated the garden, or any yard work, for that matter. The fact that I always expected the job to be done perfectly probably did not help. And to top it all off, it seems like we fight a running battle with bugs which cut the leaves in the spring and eat beans throughout the summer. Left without treatment, the bugs will kill the entire crop before the end of summer. Even if we dust regularly, the bugs will leave some beans disfigured so that more must be discarded.
But that speaks to the human condition. No matter how hard any of us try, we will not get through the summer of our lives...perfect. We will all make mistakes...no-one is perfect. Before the final harvest, we will all have faced personal battles...our own weaknesses...or the trials of life...or both. There was only one who ever lived who was perfect. Fortunately our Father in Heaven does not expect us to be perfect. He wants us to give it a good try, but he knew long before we came to this earth that we would fall short of perfection. So He came up with a magnificent Plan for our Salvation. His Son volunteered to implement the key part of the Plan. The Atonement wrought by Jesus the Christ satisfies the demands of justice. Based only upon the condition of our humble acceptance of Him as our Savior, and sincere repentance, He intends to take each of us by the hand, at some future day, and present us to His Father, pure and holy, and blameless...even perfect. Whereas, none of us can harvest beans perfectly, the Savior did not fail in His assignment...and none will be discarded.
So maybe I will continue to grow pole beans. They may remind us to be humble...more accepting of the human condition...more willing to love each other...more willing to love the Master Gardener, who loves us more than any of us can imagine.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
The Real Political Problem
Last Sunday, a young couple, who were new to our Ward, spoke in Church. As part of that tradition, they were asked to tell the Ward members a little about themselves. The wife explained that she was a city girl...her husband was from a cattle ranch in Montana. She said that when he took her home to the ranch, she was absolutely stunned...she had no idea that people still lived like that...his family were cowboys...ranchers. There lies the problem; it is just a shadow of the larger problem which plagues politics in the USA today.
I was once part of the problem myself. When I arrived in Utah, from Australia in 1965, I must admit that I was surprised to see real indians...and cowboys...men and boys in cowboy boots and big cowboy hats. From my perspective it was as if they were "dressing up" or "playing a part"...it was hard to take them seriously..."you mean you dress like that every day?". Well, yes they do, as I discovered. Out in Wyoming there is only one significant difference between a cowboy from the 19th century and a cowboy from the 21st century...one rode a horse and carried a rifle in a scabbard...the other drives a pick-up truck, with a rifle hung in the back window. Other than that, nothing much has changed...they think pretty much alike. Freedom and values like fierce independence and self-reliance still rule.
When our son Nate served an LDS mission in New Your City...speaking Spanish...he actually found New Yorkers who had never heard of Utah. Some even asked what country Utah was in. Some had such limited education and sense of place, that they actually thought New York City WAS the United States...that New York City was the beginning and end of it. There's obviously a serious problem there. But for many eastern Americans the United States still ends at the Misssissippi. And it is still a fact, in every day language, that Chicago is located in the "mid-west"...the West is everything beyond the Mississippi...and it is still largely unknown to the liberal elite who refer to the Great Plains states as "fly-over" states.
Even more difficult to believe, there are people in the big cities who have no idea where meat comes from...or where milk comes from. Many have no idea that there are millions of good people in the "fly-over" states producing the food that ends up in the stores which they frequent in the big cities. Here in Logan, we have had foriegn students from Utah State University stop by, to ask if they could pick apples in our orchard. They had never seen an apple on a tree. That is surprising to anyone who lives at the supply end of society... closer to nature. In a previous blog I noted that I grow a vegetable garden. Many do in small towns. I was once told "you can trust a man who grows a vegetable garden." That must be because being close to the dirt produces a certain primal appreciation of nature; a connection with the natural cycles of life...which is reality.
But it's not the less educated who pose the greater problem. In my previous blog about Presidential Politics, I said that Barack Obama lives in different USA than I. I believe it. THAT IS THE PROBLEM.
Obama is an educated man, an attorney even. However, I would bet that even he grew up with a limited view of the USA. He has lived and worked most of his life in Chicago. I would bet that until his recent exposure to national politics, if he could tell you where Montana was located, or Utah, or Idaho...he would have had absolutely no idea what made a small town westerner tick. He would not be able to relate to the experience of growing up in a small town where everyone knew everyone, where generations farmed the same plot of ground, where one friend's dad was the mayor, another's was the preacher...where people trusted each other and helped each other...where no-one depended on government for anything... where no-one locked a door to anything...where patriotism was the unquestioned norm...where people celebrated the 4th of July together...and proudly pledged allegiance to the flag ...even died for it...and families prayed together. Barack Obama would not be able relate to their life-style and values, just as we cannot relate to the values of a man who can sit in a church for twenty years, while his minister preaches hatred and vitriole like "God Damn America!"
So when John McCain announced Governor Sarah Palin, of Alaska, as his running mate...one segment of the country said "YES! YES! YES!" because they could immediately relate to her...she was part of their USA...another segment said "WHAT?...Where in the hell is Alaska?" and "What does she know about anything? She's from a small town...she was educated at the University of Idaho for Pete' sake? Where is Idaho anyway? How could Idaho or Alaska produce a person of substance who knows anything about anything?"
And that is just from the left-wing US media elite. Some, so-called news people, claimed that they even laughed in their newsrooms, at the announcement of Sarah Palin. Eastern liberal sophisticates, are annoyed that McCain would select anyone whom they had not approved...someone other than their social equals...Palin didn't go to the right schools, she shoots guns for heavens sake, she knows how to gut and dress an elk...worst of all...she has five children...one born with special needs...and she did not have an abortion. To them, the selection of Palin is an affront to their view of the USA...and their values.
I think they are all about to get an education about what really makes America great. Some of us can hardly wait to hear Sarah Palin tonight...and to hear her debate Joe Biden in the future. As a Mormon I find it interesting that I still don't know what religion Sarah Palin is, or if she has any religion at all. It does not matter to me. What matters is that she and her husband have their heads screwed on. They are our kind of people. They live in our USA. What was really impressive, was Sarah Palin's response to media questions about her daughter. "How did you and your husband deal with the discovery that your 17 year old daughter was pregnant." "We handled it as any other American family would...with love."
I was once part of the problem myself. When I arrived in Utah, from Australia in 1965, I must admit that I was surprised to see real indians...and cowboys...men and boys in cowboy boots and big cowboy hats. From my perspective it was as if they were "dressing up" or "playing a part"...it was hard to take them seriously..."you mean you dress like that every day?". Well, yes they do, as I discovered. Out in Wyoming there is only one significant difference between a cowboy from the 19th century and a cowboy from the 21st century...one rode a horse and carried a rifle in a scabbard...the other drives a pick-up truck, with a rifle hung in the back window. Other than that, nothing much has changed...they think pretty much alike. Freedom and values like fierce independence and self-reliance still rule.
When our son Nate served an LDS mission in New Your City...speaking Spanish...he actually found New Yorkers who had never heard of Utah. Some even asked what country Utah was in. Some had such limited education and sense of place, that they actually thought New York City WAS the United States...that New York City was the beginning and end of it. There's obviously a serious problem there. But for many eastern Americans the United States still ends at the Misssissippi. And it is still a fact, in every day language, that Chicago is located in the "mid-west"...the West is everything beyond the Mississippi...and it is still largely unknown to the liberal elite who refer to the Great Plains states as "fly-over" states.
Even more difficult to believe, there are people in the big cities who have no idea where meat comes from...or where milk comes from. Many have no idea that there are millions of good people in the "fly-over" states producing the food that ends up in the stores which they frequent in the big cities. Here in Logan, we have had foriegn students from Utah State University stop by, to ask if they could pick apples in our orchard. They had never seen an apple on a tree. That is surprising to anyone who lives at the supply end of society... closer to nature. In a previous blog I noted that I grow a vegetable garden. Many do in small towns. I was once told "you can trust a man who grows a vegetable garden." That must be because being close to the dirt produces a certain primal appreciation of nature; a connection with the natural cycles of life...which is reality.
But it's not the less educated who pose the greater problem. In my previous blog about Presidential Politics, I said that Barack Obama lives in different USA than I. I believe it. THAT IS THE PROBLEM.
Obama is an educated man, an attorney even. However, I would bet that even he grew up with a limited view of the USA. He has lived and worked most of his life in Chicago. I would bet that until his recent exposure to national politics, if he could tell you where Montana was located, or Utah, or Idaho...he would have had absolutely no idea what made a small town westerner tick. He would not be able to relate to the experience of growing up in a small town where everyone knew everyone, where generations farmed the same plot of ground, where one friend's dad was the mayor, another's was the preacher...where people trusted each other and helped each other...where no-one depended on government for anything... where no-one locked a door to anything...where patriotism was the unquestioned norm...where people celebrated the 4th of July together...and proudly pledged allegiance to the flag ...even died for it...and families prayed together. Barack Obama would not be able relate to their life-style and values, just as we cannot relate to the values of a man who can sit in a church for twenty years, while his minister preaches hatred and vitriole like "God Damn America!"
So when John McCain announced Governor Sarah Palin, of Alaska, as his running mate...one segment of the country said "YES! YES! YES!" because they could immediately relate to her...she was part of their USA...another segment said "WHAT?...Where in the hell is Alaska?" and "What does she know about anything? She's from a small town...she was educated at the University of Idaho for Pete' sake? Where is Idaho anyway? How could Idaho or Alaska produce a person of substance who knows anything about anything?"
And that is just from the left-wing US media elite. Some, so-called news people, claimed that they even laughed in their newsrooms, at the announcement of Sarah Palin. Eastern liberal sophisticates, are annoyed that McCain would select anyone whom they had not approved...someone other than their social equals...Palin didn't go to the right schools, she shoots guns for heavens sake, she knows how to gut and dress an elk...worst of all...she has five children...one born with special needs...and she did not have an abortion. To them, the selection of Palin is an affront to their view of the USA...and their values.
I think they are all about to get an education about what really makes America great. Some of us can hardly wait to hear Sarah Palin tonight...and to hear her debate Joe Biden in the future. As a Mormon I find it interesting that I still don't know what religion Sarah Palin is, or if she has any religion at all. It does not matter to me. What matters is that she and her husband have their heads screwed on. They are our kind of people. They live in our USA. What was really impressive, was Sarah Palin's response to media questions about her daughter. "How did you and your husband deal with the discovery that your 17 year old daughter was pregnant." "We handled it as any other American family would...with love."
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