A Peculiar People

In the 1960s there was a show about a very odd group of people known as the Addams Family. Over the years, it has been recreated in cartoons, comics, movies, TV reunions and revivals. I still prefer, though, the original black and white version. The opening to the show is a classic.

Despite their unusual appearance, the family was rather quite conventional. The parents, Gomez and Morticia, loved their two children, Wednesday and Pugsley, and would do anything to ensure they were well cared for. Grandmama and Uncle Fester were extended members of the family who also helped to take care of family matters. Lurch was the menacingly tall butler with a soft heart. Visitors to the Addams mansion were always warmly welcomed. Gomez was quite generous with his abundant wealth and gladly gave huge amounts of money to friends and worthy causes.

On the other hand, there aren't too many families who blow up model trains, light up light bulbs by sticking one in their mouth, have a lion as a pet, or include a torture rack in their rec room. To the outside world, the Addams household was weird and unusual. They were not like everyone else.

It seems to me that in some ways, we as members of the Church, are often viewed as though we are also just as strange. Our standards, values, and morals don't always go along with those of society at large. And, as the years go by and society's standards stray farther from those we hold dear we may find ourselves appearing more and more odd. For example, our views on same-sex marriage, chastity, alcohol, Sabbath day activities have already put us at odds with various groups of people.

It shouldn't matter to us, however, what other people think or say about us. What matters is what the Lord has said to us:
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy."
(New Testament, 1 Peter 2:9 - 10)

Paul suffered greatly and was persecuted for his beliefs. That didn't stop him from believing.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
(New Testament, Romans 1:16)

And, if we are ridiculed or unpopular because of what we believe to be true the Lord has promised us his blessings and protection.
"Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail."
(Doctrine and Covenants, Section 6:34)

Try not to be discouraged by what friends or people may say about you because of who you are and what you believe. The Addams family was a happy bunch of people and they didn't care what anybody thought about them either. The Lord will bless you for your faithfulness. I believe that with all my heart.

Inside and Outside

Palpatine. Benevolent and well-meaning on the outside, dark and cunning on the inside.

Throughout most of the Star Wars saga, we see how this character uses deceptions and lies to gain ultimate power over an entire galaxy. The character of Palpatine is so evil, that it may seem hard to believe how anyone can actually be like that. Well, in the time of the Savior, there were some people who acted like Palpatine. The Savior is quoted in the New Testament in this manner:

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."
(New Testament, Matthew 23:27 - 28)

Eventually, Palpatine's inner darkness took over his appearance on the outside. Perhaps we're not evil like he was, or as hypocritical like the scribes and Pharisees, but is there a message that we can learn from their bad examples?

Do we ever pretend that we didn't do anything wrong, when on the inside we know we made a mistake? Do we blame someone or something else when the responsible person is actually us? Do we get mad instead of apologizing when something is really our own fault?

Alma asked similar questions:
"I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?
Or do ye imagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, and say—Lord, our works have been righteous works upon the face of the earth—and that he will save you?"
(Book of Mormon, Alma 5:16 - 17)

We not only have to be careful about how we behave on the outside, our actions, but also how we think and feel on the inside. Luke Skywalker was often tempted by the Dark Side, by hatred and anger. But in the end, we see that he let go of those feelings and so Palpatine was defeated and destroyed.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven"
(New Testament, Matthew 5:16)

The Savior was the perfect example of having the proper attitude when doing what His Father asked of Him. Even when it was something undesirable and hard as in the Garden of Gethsamane and on the cross.

I hope that we'll always strive to choose the good, both on the inside and outside, how we feel as well as how we act. That's how the Spririt can be with us always to comfort us and guide us when we need and desire it. I believe that to be true.

Looking Fierce!

One of my daughters is in her school's colorguard. The preparation for competition day usually starts early in the morning. She has to wear a uniform, fix her a hair a certain way, and apply a special makeup. There is a particular way of describing her appearance. She refers to it as "looking fierce." I think that's rather a cool way to think about it.


There were some pretty fierce looking characters in Japanese history too. Most people are familiar with the feudal samurai period of Japan. Those warriors not only looked fierce, they also fought that way. Part of their preparation for battle involved wearing some serious armor. Not only was it protective but it also had a formidable appearance.

Kikuchi Takemitsu (1319-1373), general during the Nanbokucho era, fought in the Kyushu region for the Emperor with his army of samurai warriors. This scene depicts a decisive battle in the Chikugo river. (Painted by Ebine Shundo)

It would have been really foolish for a warrior of that period to go out to battle without his sword or having forgotten his helmet or other important parts of his armor. The result would have been disastrous.


Well, we go out to battle every day too. When we step out the door, we are fighting to make the right choices and making sure that the adversary doesn't harm us with temptations, distractions, and sin. Do we go out with all of our armor, or do we leave some of it behind thinking we won't really need it? In other words, have we prayed for Heavenly Father's guidance and protection for the day ahead? Have we made the decision to be obedient to the commandments? Are we going to obey and respect parents, church leaders, teachers in school, and other people in authority? Have we read the scriptures and kept the words in our hearts and minds so that they can lift us up and help answer questions in times of need?

"Wherefore, lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand."
(Doctrine and Covenants, Section 27:15)

Just as my daughter prepares herself to "look fierce" for colorguard competitions, likewise I think we could each prepare ourselves to "look fierce" on a daily basis in the struggle to maintain ourselves clean and righteous. I really believe it's important to do that if we're going to win this battle we call life. And, if we do our best every day, I know we will win.

Footprints

The Spy Kids series of movies are fun to watch. In Spy Kids 3D: Game Over, much of the story takes place in a virtual reality game world. Young Juni's mission is to play through all the levels of the game in order to find and rescue his sister. Each level of gameplay is filled with dangers, challenges, and opposition. At one point, Juni is offered the opportunity to invite someone from his family to assist him through the game. He chooses his grandfather. Juni still has to face all the challenges on his own, but whenever it seems that all is lost, Grandpa comes in to lend a helping hand.



This reminds me of a poem that's been around for many decades. It's found on greeting cards, calendars, bookmarks, and a variety of other places. It is titled, "Footprints in the Sand" by Mary Stevenson. I can appreciate the author's good intentions, but I disagree somewhat with the message of the poem. Here are the final few lines:

But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,
"The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you."

Official "Footprints in the Sand" Website

While it is comforting to believe that the Lord will carry us in our greatest times of need, I don't think that is a true concept. I've been through some very trying times in my life: the loss of loved ones, financial distress, heart-ache, and illness among other things. I have never felt that I've been carried through any of those trials. It seems rather that if I were to look back at the footprints in the sand of my life I would see a single set of prints during the less troubling times, but a second set in my times of most desperate need. The Lord doesn't carry us but he does love us enough to walk with us during our trials; lifting us, assisting us, but never doing the walking for us. We have to take each step of the way with our own two feet.

Alma describes the succor of the Lord in this manner:
"And I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions; yea, God has delivered me from prison, and from bonds, and from death; yea, and I do put my trust in him, and he will still deliver me."
(Book of Mormon, Alma 36:27)

The Lord himself has also promised us peace in troubling times:
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
(New Testament, John 14:27)

It would be great to have someone like Juni's Grandpa just pop in whenever we most need him. On the other hand, it is wonderful to know that we can rely on a loving Heavenly Father to give us aid, comfort, and direction when we most need it. All we have to do is ask. I truly believe that.

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Is it True?

Today is what is known in the Church as "Fast Sunday." Once a month, typically on the first Sunday of the month, we dedicate the day to fasting and prayer. At church on this day, we conduct a fast and testimony meeting where members of the congregation are given the opportunity to stand at the pulpit and share their convictions of the Gospel. During this meeting we often hear the phrase, "I know the Church is true."

Is it really the only true church and religion on the earth? Many people don't think so and try to convince us that we are foolishly being led astray by false prophets and charlatans. They want us to believe that the Book of Mormon is a work of fiction made up by Joseph Smith and the church he helped to organize is nothing but an oddball cult.

The Book of Mormon records what one disbeliever in ancient times said, and it sounds very much like what we hear about the Church today:

"O ye that are bound down under a foolish and a vain hope, why do ye yoke yourselves with such foolish things? Why do ye look for a Christ? For no man can know of anything which is to come. Behold, these things which ye call prophecies, which ye say are handed down by holy prophets, behold, they are foolish traditions of your fathers. How do ye know of their surety? Behold, ye cannot know of things which ye do not see; therefore ye cannot know that there shall be a Christ. Ye look forward and say that ye see a remission of your sins. But behold, it is the effect of a frenzied mind; and this derangement of your minds comes because of the traditions of your fathers, which lead you away into a belief of things which are not so. And many more such things did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no atonement made for the sins of men, but every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime."
(Book of Mormon, Alma 30:13 - 17)

In the movie, Chicken Little, the main character of the title had a hard time convincing anyone of what he saw and knew to be a fact.

Perhaps it would indeed be kind of hard to believe the word of a youngster. Seems like people had a hard time believing a young Joseph Smith too when he claimed to have restored the true Gospel and church after seeing God and Jesus Christ in a vision in 1820.


Today, the Church is led by men who we consider to be prophets, seers, and revelators. They believe Joseph Smith. What kind of men are they?

The President of the Church is Thomas S. Monson. He graduated cum laude from the University of Utah in 1948, receiving a degree in business management. He did graduate work and served as a member of the College of Business faculty at the University of Utah. He later received his MBA degree from Brigham Young University. He served for many years as chairman of the board of Deseret News Publishing Co..

His 1st Counselor is President Henry B. Eyring. President Eyring was president of Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, from 1971 to 1977. He was on the faculty at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University from 1962 to 1971. He holds a B.S. degree in Physics from the University of Utah and Master of Business Administration and Doctor of Business Administration degrees from Harvard University.

The 2nd Counselor in the presidency is President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. He studied engineering and later continued his education in business administration in Cologne, Germany, and international management in Lausanne, Switzerland. President Uchtdorf joined the German Air Force in 1959 and received his pilot wings in Big Spring, Texas, and fighter pilot training in Phoenix, Ariziona. In 1965, President Uchtdorf joined Lufthansa German Airlines as a pilot. He worked as an airline captain from 1970 to 1996, flying multiple types of airplanes and completing his career flying the B747. He held several executive positions, including head of the airline pilot school, director of in-flight services, and head of cockpit crews. At the time of his call as a General Authority, he was the senior vice president of flight operations and chief pilot of Lufthansa German Airlines.

You can review the biographical information for these and other General Authorities of the Church at this link:
Leader biographies

As you will see, before they were called to serve in their leadership roles in the Church, these men were educators, business executives, doctors, lawyers, and so on. In other words, they are well-educated, respected in their professions, and have nothing to gain from deceiving anyone. They are not getting rich from the members of the Church, they are not seeking fame, nor are they seeking to exercise power over anyone. Instead they travel around the world teaching people the importance of strengthening family bonds and living Christ-centered, clean lives. If the Church wasn't true why would they waste their time doing something of no material benefit to themselves? Perhaps it is true after all.

"And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety? Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me. And moreover, I say unto you that it has thus been revealed unto me, that the words which have been spoken by our fathers are true, even so according to the spirit of prophecy which is in me, which is also by the manifestation of the Spirit of God."
(Book of Mormon, Alma 5:45 - 47)

I have prayed and fasted to know about these things. I can testify that they are true. I hope that you will also believe them to be true.