Remembering Christ in All That We Do

 "And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

"Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."

These were Jesus's words at the Last Supper to His disciples as He reminded them to remember Him when they take the sacrament. His sacrifice of His body and blood to wash away our sins was given so that we could return to live with Him and our Father in Heaven. Remembering Christ is not just something to think about on Sundays but a charge to carry with us in all that we do. It serves as a constant reminder to align our choices, interactions, and aspirations with His teachings, inviting His presence into every aspect of our daily lives.

Why Remembering Christ Matters

Remembering Christ anchors us in our beliefs. It reminds us of the life He lived, the teachings He gave, and the sacrifice He made for us.

In my life, I, like everyone here, have had challenges. The main difference is in the type of challenges. My challenges may be similar in some areas and quite different from most of you in others. I have had struggles with addiction, spent time locked away in a purgatory cut off from my family and friends, ruined two marriages, and deeply disappointed my mother.

For a time, I forgot Him. I forgot what He did for me. I was the cynical, arrogant young man who said, “I can do it myself,” and those doings got me in serious hot water.

Years ago, I was in that purgatory, having just returned after making more serious mistakes. After almost seven years of rarely thinking of Him, I knew it was time to return. I read every day. I prayed every day. I focused, as much as I could, completely on Him. I did all the things I should have been doing every day for the three months leading up to my parole hearing.

That hearing did not go as I had hoped it would, and I lived in that purgatory another five and a half years. At first, I was angry. I didn’t understand. I did all the things I was supposed to do. How did this happen?

For another two months, my scriptures were left on a shelf, and I again felt like the cynical, arrogant young man who wanted to do it myself. The key difference was that I had been doing all the things I was supposed to be doing—for three months. Not for the seven years I spent on parole, not for the years and years before when I had made so many bad decisions.

Once I had gone through my cooling-off period and had time to think about what happened, I realized that I needed to live it every day, not just for three months. So I picked up my scriptures again. I read, I prayed, I went back to church, and I lived it. Even in my excommunicated state, inside that purgatory, I lived it.

He remembered us in His darkest moments, in Gethsemane, and even on the cross, saying, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

In my darkest hours, after being stripped of all the time I had completed on parole, I, at first, made the decision to forget Him and do it myself. This was the wrong decision.

Over the next five and a half years, after I woke up from my pigheadedness, I tried my best to be the right kind of person. I wasn’t perfect at it, but I was a whole lot better than I had been in the seven and a half years before. I made good friends, avoided bad situations, went to church, read, prayed, sang, led the choir, taught classes, held callings, and learned from wonderful church leaders. I remembered Him.

Living as a Witness of Christ

When we remember Christ and keep Him in our thoughts, it influences our decisions, softens our hearts, and strengthens our resolve. We learn, or remember, His path, and we resolve to follow Him. When we remember Christ, we naturally become witnesses of Him to those around us. It is not enough to say we follow Christ. James said, "...faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." In 3 Nephi (3 Nephi 18:24), Christ said, "Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world."

Our words and actions can be a testimony of Christ’s love and truth, reflecting the teachings and life of the Savior. As we strive to align our actions with His example, we not only strengthen our relationship with Him but also inspire those around us to seek Him. This connection is a living testament of His love that speaks louder than words alone. For example, the scriptural counsel to "let your light so shine before men" ties directly into our daily interactions, reminding us to illuminate the path for others toward Christ’s grace and truth. By living His teachings, we inspire others to come unto Him. 

In that purgatory, I tried to be an example to those around me. I kept my language clean, I was kind to others, and I led the dog training program with a goal to help better those around me, not to seek any vainglory of position and authority. I earned respect from my fellow inmates by being an honest, trustworthy person in a place filled with some of the most vile people you hopefully will never meet.

We can remember Christ and live for Him by looking for opportunities to be the hands of the Savior, lifting others and showing compassion. We can emulate Him in our daily habits of scripture study and prayer. We can meditate on our relationship with Him to keep that constant connection to Christ.

And like Peter was encouraged to be as he was walking on water, we can keep our focus on Christ amid life’s storms and be not afraid. Christ taught us to "love one another as I have loved you." Remembering Him helps us treat others with patience, forgiveness, and charity.

Seeing Others as Christ Sees Them

In that place, I had a friend named Jason. At some point, he had been in a car accident and received a traumatic brain injury that caused him to forget things, not be able to process as quickly, and honestly made him a little weird. But at the same time, he was a wonderful example of seeing others as Christ saw them.

Jason told me a story of a time he was on his mission, and he tried to see every person he visited while he was teaching the gospel as if they were wearing their baptism jumper, all in white. He would come and knock, visualize them in the waters of baptism, and make introductions. If they did not want to invite him in, he would ask them if he could sing them a song, and then would sing "I Am a Child of God." He told me that got him in several homes because of the pure truths that wonderful hymn contains.

We can remember Christ by being an example to others. By not hiding our light under a bushel, we can live a life worth emulating. While in that place, a friend named Matthew came to me and said, “You are always happy. How do I get what you have?” and I told him, “Come to church.” And he did.

It wasn’t the smoothest transition for him. Matthew had a rough upbringing, a physically abusive father, and an emotionally abusive mother. The idea that he had Heavenly Parents that loved him was a difficult one for him to grasp, and after a time, he stopped coming.

After I came home, he wrote me a beautiful testimony about how he had taken time to think things through and decided he should go back to church. He had become a teacher and leader in the branch and was making great leaps in his testimony.

Drawing Strength Through Christ

I was walking the track around the ballfield one day after work with a couple of friends, Mark and Lyle. Lyle was a barrel-chested tank of a man, with a crushing handshake and a warm smile. Mark was quite the opposite. He was quiet, reserved, short and round with thick glasses, and he was having trouble keeping up with Lyle and me.

Mark made the comment, "When does this get any easier?"

To which Lyle replied, "It doesn’t. You just get to where you handle it better."

I always thought that was a very profound statement that can be applied to a lot more than just exercise.

Like Lyle’s advice, remembering Christ helps us to grow stronger through our trials. For example, when I reflect on moments in my life where challenges seemed insurmountable, I see how the Savior’s teachings and presence provided clarity and resilience. These trials were not just moments of hardship but opportunities for growth, like the refiner’s fire mentioned in scripture. By remembering Christ, we are reminded of His promises and are better able to endure with faith and strength. 

In Sunday School, we often discuss the importance of challenges in our lives, and how the challenges we face help us to grow strong.

The scriptures are full of examples of this: burning off the dross, sifting wheat from the chaff, the refiner’s fire, burning out the impurities. The people in the time of Christ were a hands-on people who worked in agriculture and metal trades, among others, so it is no wonder that the stories He told related to these topics often, so they were relatable to the people.

In Matthew 11:29-30, Christ says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Alma spoke about the Lord lightening the burdens of the people when they were in bondage to the Lamanites. In Mosiah 24:13-15, we read:

"And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage. And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions."

The Lord didn’t immediately remove the people from bondage, as He did not inspire the parole board to remove me from bondage, but He strengthened them to bear their burdens with ease. I feel like He strengthened me as I studied and prayed, taught, and volunteered, so that I was able to handle my time in bondage.

Eventually, He delivered them entirely, showing His power and faithfulness. This teaches us that while we may face trials, the Lord can lighten our load and help us endure, even before complete deliverance comes.

Conclusion: Remembering Christ Daily

Remembering Christ in all that we do doesn’t mean our lives will be free of struggles. But it does mean that we will face those challenges with purpose, faith, and the assurance of His love and grace. As we take on the heaviest burdens we can carry, we will find strength, meaning, and growth. We will draw closer to Him, and in so doing, we will become more like Him.

I leave this with you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

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Preparing for Conference

As conference approaches, we are encouraged to prepare to hear the messages of the Lord, and some might ask, ‘How do I do that?’

One day last year my daughter, Nora, saw me snap my fingers at the dog. This is my signal to Atticus to move out of my way, whether it’s from my spot on the couch, my spot on the bed, or just standing in my path as I walk.

Later she came to me and asked how to do it, so I showed her the basics of pushing her thumb and middle finger together, letting the middle finger slip from her thumb and slap against the meat of the palm. She spent several weeks practicing, reporting her progress to me, until she could easily snap her fingers with an audible click.

A couple weeks ago she heard someone on a TV show whistle, and she has been practicing this as well. She purses up her lips and breathes rapidly, and can often produce a whistle in both directions, like this: <whistle>. I love seeing her successes as she builds her confidence.

We got them little bikes with no pedals when they were two or three, and they love riding them all over. This practice has prepared their balance so when we got them pedal bikes, it wasn’t long before Nora was ready to try with the training wheels off. We got them new bikes for Christmas and she didn’t want to have anything to do with the training wheels from day one.

They practice coloring, painting, counting, riding their bikes, singing, and many other skills.

I think this simple example that Nora and Clara provide is an excellent way to prepare for conference: Practice.

We practice hearing the messages of the Lord by listening so we easily recognize those things. Listen to talks from the last General Conference. Listen to devotionals. Listen to the choir and uplifting music. Listen to or read the scriptures. Listen to older talks that may have been before your time, or when you were younger. Practice recognizing the theme of the talk, and practice applying the message to your life.

The truths that were spoken by President Hinkley, President Kimball, or Elder McConkie, are just as true today as they were in the 1980’s, 1970’s, and older.

We can also turn off other media that doesn’t invite the spirit. News, politics, social media. Each of these things is not necessarily bad, but is often a mix of positive and negative, and in the case of news and politics, rarely contains uplifting messages.

As Don Henley pointed out in the 1982 song, “Dirty Laundry”:

...The bubble-headed bleached blonde comes on at five
she can tell you ‘bout the plane crash with a gleam in her eye.
It’s interesting when people die
Give us dirty laundry.

And:
We can do “the innuendo”, we can dance and sing
When it’s said and done we haven’t told you a thing
We all know that crap is king
Give us dirty laundry!

Taking a media fast and focusing on spiritual and uplifting content leading up to conference will help to cleanse our minds of the often negative messages and influences so we can better focus on hearing the spirit.

President and Sister Nelson have given the youth a challenge of taking a seven day social media fast.

Quote: 'President Nelson shared the story of a young man who had to give up his smartphone for a bit. At first, he panicked. (Can you relate?) But then, he was grateful. He felt “free for the first time in a long time” and loved being “free from the fake life that social media creates” and had much more time and energy to be outside, serve others, listen in church, and prepare for his mission. And he was so much happier.'

Social media can certainly be a wonderful tool to connect with others and share goodness, but if you’re paying more attention to your Instagram feed or favorite YouTube videos than to the Spirit, it’s a problem.

“[The] downside of social media is that it creates a false reality,” President Nelson said. “Everyone posts their most fun, adventurous, and exciting pictures, which create the erroneous impression that everyone except you is leading a fun, adventurous, and exciting life. Much of what appears in your various social media feeds is distorted, if not fake.”

End Quote

Author Sheridan Voysey, in his article, Four Reasons to Try a Social Media Fast, talks about the benefits he received doing a month-long social media fast. He found he had more energy, less distraction, more focus, more peace, more contentment, and taken back precious time. His attention and memory increase. he has less annoyance and disappointment.

As with all things in life, social media should be taken in moderation.

While I was in college, I needed an easy class to fill a credit requirement. I looked through the catalog and picked one called, “Learning to Learn”. This was probably the most useful class that I took in college. I sure don’t remember any calculus. I’m not an accountant, and I’m not critiquing Jazz festivals. But the lessons I learned in this class have helped me in many other things in life.

One of the most important principles is, if you want to learn, you have to pay attention. I know, easier said than done, but paying attention comes from one major component: Interest.

If we are interested in the subject, we are more likely to pay attention.

Think about your favorite subject. This could be baseball, cars, Pokemon, animals, Egyptian archaeology, whatever. You know about this subject because it interests you. You know about this subject because when you read about it, or watch a YouTube video or lecture about it, your interest keeps your attention.

The same way, when we aren’t interested in a subject, we have a harder time paying attention.

One way we can increase our interest in conference is to have some questions that we would like answered. These answers may be something you hear directly, or they may be a prompting during a particularly spiritual talk. Listening for answers to questions helps to focus your mind so you are able to pay attention.

Other ways to pay attention is to play Conference Bingo. LDSBookstore.com has free conference packets that include four bingo cards, or there are numerous ones online that can be downloaded and printed. Listening carefully for the words, concepts, or phrases on your bingo card are a great way to pay attention.

We also find it easier to be interested and pay attention when we remove distractions. Get household chores done in the days or hours before so you can focus on the listening. Don’t play Candy Crush or other mobile games. Use your phone for notes, or sending “Wow, did you hear that?!” to family when a great message strikes home.

Being well rested so we aren’t dozing off during conference is also important. Go to bed at a reasonable hour and eat a healthy breakfast that will give you the energy to last all the way through.

Another way we prepare in our family is by having tradition. Contrary to my last point of eating a healthy breakfast, Saturday we have snacks. There is a bowl of M&Ms and a bowl of Skittles, mandarin oranges, trail mix, etc.

Sunday, Stephanie makes German Pancakes for breakfast. So like Christmas, General Conference is a family holiday, and this brings us into the spirit of conference and helps to put us in that frame of mind.

So as General Conference approaches, let us practice hearing the messages of the Lord, just as Nora practices her finger snaps, her whistles, and her artwork, and Clara practices her singing, dancing, and her own art.

Let us have reason to pay attention, and let us make these things a tradition to pass on, and I say these things in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

Amen.

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Leveling up in Life

I was walking the track around the ballfield one day after work with a couple friends, Mark and Lyle. 

Lyle was a barrel chested tank of a man, with a crushing handshake, and a warm smile. Mark was quite the opposite. He was quiet, reserved. Short and round with thick glasses, and he was having trouble keeping up with Lyle and me.

Mark made the comment, "When does this get any easier?" 

To which Lyle replied, "It doesn’t. You just get to where you handle it better."

I always thought that was a very profound statement that can be applied to a lot more than just exercise.

Our bodies are meant for work. In Genesis 3:19 God tells Adam, 

'In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground;..'

When we lift heavy things, our bodies learn to adapt and build stronger muscles so they can handle the lifting of those heavy things. When we walk long distances, our bodies build lean muscles that are more full of energy and can better handle the long walks. 

But the body isn't the only thing that God gave us that adapts to it's challenges.

Our minds, our emotions, and our spirit are all strengthened when we "lift heavy things" for each of them.

When a student studies, their brain carves new grooves, pathways that store the knowledge. When they apply that knowledge, those pathways are reinforced and a stronger connection is made to that knowledge.

The same applies to our spiritual muscles. When we read our scriptures, pray, participate in our Sunday School, ponder the teachings of the gospel, and, as Nephi said, "feast upon the words of Christ," we build those spiritual muscles that will support us during challenges.

We must be challenged

In the movie The Matrix, The Architect is telling Neo about how this is not the first iteration of the Matrix, but the sixth. 

"The first matrix I designed," he says, "was quite naturally perfect. It was a work of art; flawless, sublime, and triumph equaled only by it's monumental failure."

He is telling Neo that the first matrix, in it's "perfection" provided mankind with all their needs. Everyone could be happy. 

But instead, it failed. And while the Architect does not say why it failed, we can look at a real world experiment to see what may have happened.

In the 1960s, a behavioral researcher named John Calhoun created the "Mouse Utopia" experiment. Calhoun created several habitats for mice to observe overcrowding in a perfect world.

He provided the mice with limitless food, and secluded rodent condos on several levels, and no natural predators. Because food and space was so plentiful, they expanded their population quickly. 

At the peak population, most mice spent every living second in the company of hundreds of other mice. They gathered in the main squares, waiting to be fed and occasionally attacking each other. Few females carried pregnancies to term, and the ones that did seemed to simply forget about their babies. They'd move half their litter away from danger and forget the rest. Sometimes they'd drop and abandon a baby while they were carrying it.

The few secluded spaces housed a population Calhoun called, "the beautiful ones." Generally guarded by one male, the females—and few males—inside the space didn't breed or fight or do anything but eat and groom and sleep. When the population started declining the beautiful ones were spared from violence and death, but had completely lost touch with social behaviors, including [mating] or caring for their young.

Mouse Utopia, John Calhoun

The mice and rats had no challenges, and basically went insane. I think the Architect meant the same thing about his first 'perfect' matrix.

God, in contrast, did not create a perfect world where all our needs were to be met. In fact, if you remember from what was revealed of the war in heaven, that was Satan's plan: 

In Moses, chapter four, verse 1: 

Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.

But just like in the Matrix, God knew the only way it would not be "a monumental failure" was that man had to be given choice, and with that choice the opportunity to make poor choices that come with consequences.

But it is in those consequences that we have the opportunity to grow stronger, in whichever area of life the challenge lies. 

In James, Chapter one, verses two through four: 

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

It is never the case that we are strengthened by avoiding challenges. When we avoid doing difficult things, our life area atrophies, no different than if we lay in bed all day, never lifting a finger. If our muscles are never used, the body will not keep them up. The same is true for our mind, and our spirit. 

I'm not sure if you've heard his lectures on YouTube, but Dr. Jordan Peterson gives great advice. One of the things he often says to those who don’t know what to do with their lives, is this: "Pick up the heaviest load you can, and carry it."

Dr. Peterson is specifically talking about seeking responsibility. Not just about moving furniture, or bringing in the box of books from the moving van, but pick up the heaviest burden you can, and take responsibility for it. It is in this that you will find meaning.

So in that, our challenges do not just build our mind, body, and spirit for no reason, but they build those things that we will be able to handle more difficult challenges.

all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good

I play video games in my spare time with David and Matt. We like role playing games, like World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy, and Divinity. One thing these games all have in common is, as you complete challenges, you gain experience and 'level up'.

The other night David and I were playing Divinity, and we were having a heck of a time with a fight. The opponents were tough, and the terrain was not in our favor. After a few tries we thought it would be a good idea to go out and look for other challenges that were more appropriate to our skills, increase our abilities, and then try again. 

We fought other battles. We gained new equipment and abilities. I think one character even leveled up. We formed new strategies, and we went back to that fight and won.

Yes, this is just a game, but our story in that game could not progress unless we defeated that enemy. And it was seeking out other challenges and experiences, and formulating a new plan that allowed us to overcome, which provided us with even more experience and equipment, to prepare us for challenges that were coming later.

In Doctrine & Covenants 122, Joseph is in Liberty Jail. He cries out about the unfairness of it all, asking why the Lord would allow this to happen to his chosen people. And the Lord gave him an answer:

5 If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea;

6 If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can’t you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb;

7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. 

All of them. 

The Lord sees challenges as opportunities for growth, and to 'level up'. He does not want us to shy away from the difficult things that come before us, but to face them, learn from them, grow from them, and be better because of them.

Brothers and sisters, my little round friend Mark, as we walked around that track, was leveling up in that walk. And as we pick up the heaviest thing we can find, as we take responsibility for it, as we seek challenges to give us experience, the Lord has promised that those things will be for our good.

I leave that with you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, 

Amen.

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Teaching in Church

Sunday School teacher is probably my favorite calling, especially when your class is engaging and talkative.

The best lessons I've ever participated in are those where the conversation flows naturally, instead of being a reading of the assigned chapters and verses, and then a discussion of, "what does that verse/scripture/chapter/etc., mean to you?"

In my lessons I tend to give an interesting, dramatic summary of the story, followed by the principle that was underlying in the story. One class we read two verses and had a great discussion about those two verses for the entire 45 minutes of class.

For example, today the lesson was on Numbers 11-14; 20-24, which discusses the Israelites wandering in the desert, whining and complaining like 4 year olds the entire time. They whined about how much food they were getting, what type of food it was, it's too hot, it's too cold, i want another sucker, טִרדָה is touching me!

In one chapter, Moses sends out 12 spies/scouts, one from each tribe, to spread out amongst the land before them and try to figure out which one was the "promised land" that God told them about. Go, gather intel, see who lives there, if they're a simple village or a military stronghold, and how fertile is the ground?

One group of scouts comes back with big juicy grapes, pomegranites, and figs, says the land is lush and fertile, but there are people living on the land. One man says, "We can take 'em." and the scouts say, "Nuh-uh.. They're giants. They'll kick the crap out of us."

While the story is simple and can be made more entertaining in my retelling of it, it is the least important part of the class.

The important part is, what is the meaning of the promised land? 

...the fruit? 

...the giants? 

How can we compare them to our day?

I ask these questions and let my class think about them. They then come to the conclusions and start raising their hands to answer:

• "The promised land is a goal, or something we want."
• "The fruit is the blessings that come from striving for our goals."
• "The giants are the challenges we face."

Yes. That is the most important part of these stories in the Old Testiment. Not to follow what Moses, or Aaron, or Caleb or whomever else is doing, but how can we apply these things to our day? 

The Israelites did not have faith in the Lord that He would fulfill His promises. They constantly murmured against Him. 

5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. 

7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. (Num21:5-9)

The story, although interesting in it's own right, also has symbolism:

What are the fiery serpents sent amongst the people? 

What is the brass serpent placed upon the pole?

What does it mean to look upon it?

• Fiery serpents are afflictions.
• Brass serpent is Christ.
• Looking upon it is looking to the Lord in faith.

It is in this manner of teaching that my class has the most interaction/participation. They seem interested in the stories as how they can apply them, instead of just reading them in class. 

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Alma is my BFF

Of all the characters in the Book of Mormon, I identify with Alma the Younger most. 

Some people like Nephi, and it’s probably because he’s the one they have read about the most. Because I don’t know about you, but I’ve read the books of Nephi probably 500 or so times, but read the book of Ether about 10.

Nephi, to me, is a bit of a goody-goody. The son of a merchant, he never makes the bad choice, he knows who he is and what he’s supposed to do, and he has the line that we can all strive to be like: 

for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must bobey.  -- 2Ne33:15

And when you ask him, “Man, haven’t you ever done anything wrong?” He looks at you intently, a hint of green in his eye and says, “I get angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”

Alma was a bit different. He had a father that was the high priest of the entire nation. His friends, the sons of the king. What they had was money, influence, and boredom. 

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t money and influence that made me connect to Alma.

Alma was a total screw up. He was…

“…a very wicked and an bidolatrous man. And he was a man of many words, and did speak much cflattery to the people; therefore he dled many of the people to do after the manner of his einiquities.

9 And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; astealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension among the people; giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his bpower over them.”2 until his father just couldn’t handle it anymore and called down a divine intervention to be the agent of change in his son’s life. 

11 And as I said unto you, as they were going about arebelling against God, behold, the bangel of the Lord cappeared unto them; and he descended as it were in a dcloud; and he spake as it were with a voice of thunder, which caused the earth to shake upon which they stood; --Mosiah 27

That flipped their whole world around. That voice of thunder that told them to knock it off. Unlike Nephi’s brothers that immediately started murmuring again after the angel left, Alma was rocked to his core. He fell down and had his “coming to Jesus” moment. For three days he was shut up from the world inside his own head, with an experience that changed him. 

But I was racked with aeternal btorment, for my soul was charrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins. - Alma 36:12

And when he awoke, when he had the strength to stand and speak, he told his story of what happened:

My soul hath been aredeemed from the gall of bitterness and bbonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was cracked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is dpained no more. - Mosiah 27:29

This story is told twice in the scriptures. The first time in Mosiah 27, basically as it happens, as we’re following the story. The second time in Alma 36 when he’s bearing his testimony and conversion story to his son, Helaman, to keep him from making the same mistakes Alma made in his youth.

And this is where I identify with Alma. Going from the idolatrous wicked youth to a God fearing Christian. Of course, my conversion wasn’t over two days, it took years, but I had my awakening. And it didn’t come from the sudden appearance of an angel, but a police officer.

I found myself sitting in a jail cell, my life crumbling around me. My family torn apart. I had made so many bad choices through my youth that when it all caught up to me, I, too, was “racked with eternal torment, my soul harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins.”

I heard a story about a man with a mule. This man loved his mule, but he was having trouble because it wasn’t trained, and was headstrong and willful, would wander off while he was plowing his field. He needed the mule to be trained, but wanted it done with tender loving care. 

He found a trainer and called him up, the trainer agreed to train the mule with tender loving care, and so the man loaded up his mule and drove it to the trainer, who again assured him that he would care for the mule during the training.

As the man was driving away he glanced in his rear view mirror and saw the trainer – THWAP! – up the side of the mule’s head with a 2x4.

The man spun the truck around, raced back to the trainer.

“You said you train with tender loving care!”

“I do,” said the trainer, “But i have to get his attention first.”

That jail cell was my 2x4.

When I was sitting in that cell, my mother sent me my first quad, with a letter that said, “Something has to change.” That was the first time that I read the Book of Mormon, and I had my coming to Jesus moment. Alma’s story helped me through it. 

He gave me something that I could identify with that wasn’t the perfect goodness of Nephi. He gave me a mentor and role model that helped me see that no matter what kind of person we were, we can be better than that. 

In Mosiah, Alma gives us the brief overview of what happened. He identifies his sin, acknowledges it, and tells us that his conversion is complete and he’ll do the right thing now. And he goes on to be a great missionary and prophet.

And then he gets to my favorite verse:

O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the atrump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people! - Alma 29:1

In the chapters before it, the focus was not on Alma, it was on Ammon and his missionary success, and some wars. But in Alma 29 we are suddenly brought back to Alma, and he has this intense wish to be able to shake the world out of their iniquity, to show them how great God is, and how it feels to turn away from their sins, his sins, and be awash in the spirit. 

He wants so much to show them all the difference and let everyone feel what he feels, know it like he knows it. 

And then, in verse 3: 

But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.

For all his wishful thinking, his grand imaginations of world wide missionary success, converting all the people back to God and bring them all to Christ, Alma knows that he is a man. 

I ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their adesire, whether it be unto death or unto life; -Alma 29:4

He knows that he can only do so much. That he should learn to be happy with the things that he has, the gifts the Lord has given him. Alma, for all his desire to heal the world of the wickedness that he helped sow, is a realist, and is content knowing that God’s will is going on across the world, whether he, Alma, is the trumpet or not.

The other thing I notice about this verse is that he uses the same word as he does in his testimony to Helaman. Harrow. 

For those of you not farmers, a harrow is a machine that comes after the plow, with spikes or discs that rip up the earth and break up the clods, smoothing it out to prepare for sowing.

When Alma describes his soul being harrowed up, he’s telling us something more than it was a bit troubling. He is telling us that his soul was ripped apart, the sins were broken up, and he was smoothed out and ready for God to sow the seed of righteousness into it.

And there after his wish to be an angel, he says, “I ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God…” he’s saying that he should not try to fit God’s will into his desire, but match his desire to God’s will. 

Alma started life as a spoiled son that didn’t respect God or his father, and had his world turned upside down to become a man of humility that recognized his true importance is to his people and his children. 

I started life as a dumb kid that made a lot of bad choices and had a lot of pride until my world was turned upside down and I began to make the changes to be able to rebuild my life into something of worth, that I can be deserving of my wonderful wife and children.

And that’s why Alma is my BFF.

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