Day 180-9/24/06-What If All Sin Smelled?
Today Elder P and I spoke in sacrament meeting. So did CW. I gave my talk from Day 178 and how we should “garnish our thoughts with virtue. One of my favorite mental images from that talk is when I discuss “backsliding toward the Natural Man” and contrasting that with being in the trenches. In the trenches, you are just sitting there waiting for the enemy to come. Without an air force to protect you in the sky, you leave yourself liable to a bombardment from enemy planes. The talks were wonderful. Makes me wish we’d had an investigator at church. No one was there today, not even J O’N. I asked Brother N if he knew where J was. He wasn’t sure, but said that he was still planning to go with us to teach J after church.
Brother W was at church today. After sacrament meeting, he came with us to Brother M’s Gospel Principles class. It was great!
Happy Thing for Day 180- Brother M’s class. The lesson that he gave today was called, appropriately enough, “Are You Happy?” The lesson was wonderful, if not a little non-linear.
Brother M told us that he had a pretty bad day yesterday. He was lectured by another member (not in our ward) that he should settle down and get married. He said it in a joking manner like, “I know how it is with you guys; you don’t feel ready to handle the commitment of eternal marriage. You’re not getting any younger, though, so why not step up to the plate? Find an eternal companion. You need to grow up.” It hurt Brother M’s feelings. Not that he got depressed in front of us or anything. He stated it matter-of-factly. “I’m going to be 39 soon,” said Bro. M. When he said it, I had a hard time believing it. He does not look 39. In all honesty, he looks like a 25 year old who has been off his mission for a few years. As it turns out, Brother M served a mission in France over 18 years ago. He looks so young. He could give Elder Bednar a run for his money in the “you look younger than you really are” category. Because there is no way that Elder Bednar looks like he’s in his 50’s. No way.
Brother M continued. “I’m gonna be 39 soon and I’m still single. Where’d all the time go after my mission? Ten years ago I wanted to learn how to play the piano. Here it is, 2006, and I still don’t know how to play. Some people might look at me and say I’m not happy.
Brother M pulled out a glass and a pitcher of water. He filled the glass half way. “I’m sure I don’t have to explain the glass half full/half empty bit to you guys. You can focus on the positive or the negative. When that guy chewed me out for being single, I felt like junk, but then I had a great evening hanging out with my friends. I chose to focus on the great evening I had instead of the lousy day that I’d had.
But that’s not what I want to talk about today. I don’t want to tell you to look at the glass “half full”. I want to ask, “What do we need to do to fill that glass?” Plato said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” “I’m making it my goal to examine my life and do what it takes to fill up my glass because when your glass is completely full, you have a fullness of joy.”
I pulled out my notepad and began to take notes.
Here’s how it goes: Things happen. I write them down in my handy-dandy note book. From there, it’s put into my journal where I expound upon it (3rd Nephi-26:3 “And he did expound all things…”). For example, a couple of lines in my notebook could become a couple of pages in my journal. After it’s written down, I’m able to copy the pages at church and mail them home to my family. My mom takes the journal pages and types them onto a blog. Simple isn’t it?
Brother M saw me taking notes. Elder Pierce, you hold on to those journals. When you are a General Authority, you’re gonna publish them and I’m gonna pay $19.95 to read it. I’m gonna go, “Hey! Here’s where he’s talking about me!”
In Bro. M’s lesson, he brought up a concept that I thought was pretty funny. “What if all sin smelled?” he asked us. “If someone’s been smoking, you know it. You can smell it. What if each sin had its own unique stench? You’re at a party and this guy starts saying rude things about a woman you both know. All of a sudden, he starts giving off this terrible odor.” “Yuck!”, people will say. “Where’s that awful smell coming from?” “That way, when you go to the bishop for a temple recommend, he wouldn’t have to ask you any questions. He’d just give you a big sniff. Okay, you smell clean. Here’s your temple recommend.”
After church was over, we stayed for meetings. We talked a bit about our investigators. Brother G. was one of the members present at the meetings. He brought up the time when he went on exchanges with us to go teach S. Sister H said that for S to progress in the gospel, she’s going to have to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon. She’s got to start reading on her own. Without her doing that, she’s just spinning her wheels. We can go there and teach but if S can’t pick up the Book of Mormon, read it and pray about it, she won’t progress except maybe at a snail’s pace.
S is standing at the edge of a pool. She wants to figure out why people are so happy swimming around, but she doesn’t want to get wet. For S to find out why the people in the pool are so happy she has to immerse herself; she has to swim for herself. The quickest way to do that is by reading the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is a springboard to testimony and personal revelation. (Elder Pierce drew a picture of a pool with a diving board. On the ladder is a sign saying “Read”. As you read (climb the ladder) and reach the top of the diving board (Book of Mormon) you have a choice. Jump or climb back down.)
We didn’t get to teach J O’N today. After we got home from church there was a message on our machine from Brother N. He said that J’s mom had dislocated her hip and he was visiting her in the hospital. That’s why he wasn’t at church today said Brother N. J does want to meet with us later in the week. So, alright; we can do that.
We saw DO at church. He didn’t come to our ward. He came to the meeting after ours. He said he forgot what time church started. We told him it would be good to stay and have sacrament with the Reston ward. We went back and visited with Brother O after church. We asked him how he liked church. He said it was pretty good. We watched a video with him. He enjoyed that.
Later we went tracting for an hour. Not much came of it. My t.t.h. is now at 55.
Tonight as we were heading home, we met a nice young woman named A. She lives in the same apt. complex as A. She’s talked with the missionaries from our church before, but had lost contact. We have it all set up to go see her on Tuesday. Well, I’m about done for the night. (“I’m tired. I’m gonna go take a nap. Wake me if there’s a fire.”-Max Bialastock, Mel Brooks “The Producers” 1968-the Original version. One of the best films ever made. Pure genius)
Brother W was at church today. After sacrament meeting, he came with us to Brother M’s Gospel Principles class. It was great!
Happy Thing for Day 180- Brother M’s class. The lesson that he gave today was called, appropriately enough, “Are You Happy?” The lesson was wonderful, if not a little non-linear.
Brother M told us that he had a pretty bad day yesterday. He was lectured by another member (not in our ward) that he should settle down and get married. He said it in a joking manner like, “I know how it is with you guys; you don’t feel ready to handle the commitment of eternal marriage. You’re not getting any younger, though, so why not step up to the plate? Find an eternal companion. You need to grow up.” It hurt Brother M’s feelings. Not that he got depressed in front of us or anything. He stated it matter-of-factly. “I’m going to be 39 soon,” said Bro. M. When he said it, I had a hard time believing it. He does not look 39. In all honesty, he looks like a 25 year old who has been off his mission for a few years. As it turns out, Brother M served a mission in France over 18 years ago. He looks so young. He could give Elder Bednar a run for his money in the “you look younger than you really are” category. Because there is no way that Elder Bednar looks like he’s in his 50’s. No way.
Brother M continued. “I’m gonna be 39 soon and I’m still single. Where’d all the time go after my mission? Ten years ago I wanted to learn how to play the piano. Here it is, 2006, and I still don’t know how to play. Some people might look at me and say I’m not happy.
Brother M pulled out a glass and a pitcher of water. He filled the glass half way. “I’m sure I don’t have to explain the glass half full/half empty bit to you guys. You can focus on the positive or the negative. When that guy chewed me out for being single, I felt like junk, but then I had a great evening hanging out with my friends. I chose to focus on the great evening I had instead of the lousy day that I’d had.
But that’s not what I want to talk about today. I don’t want to tell you to look at the glass “half full”. I want to ask, “What do we need to do to fill that glass?” Plato said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” “I’m making it my goal to examine my life and do what it takes to fill up my glass because when your glass is completely full, you have a fullness of joy.”
I pulled out my notepad and began to take notes.
Here’s how it goes: Things happen. I write them down in my handy-dandy note book. From there, it’s put into my journal where I expound upon it (3rd Nephi-26:3 “And he did expound all things…”). For example, a couple of lines in my notebook could become a couple of pages in my journal. After it’s written down, I’m able to copy the pages at church and mail them home to my family. My mom takes the journal pages and types them onto a blog. Simple isn’t it?
Brother M saw me taking notes. Elder Pierce, you hold on to those journals. When you are a General Authority, you’re gonna publish them and I’m gonna pay $19.95 to read it. I’m gonna go, “Hey! Here’s where he’s talking about me!”
In Bro. M’s lesson, he brought up a concept that I thought was pretty funny. “What if all sin smelled?” he asked us. “If someone’s been smoking, you know it. You can smell it. What if each sin had its own unique stench? You’re at a party and this guy starts saying rude things about a woman you both know. All of a sudden, he starts giving off this terrible odor.” “Yuck!”, people will say. “Where’s that awful smell coming from?” “That way, when you go to the bishop for a temple recommend, he wouldn’t have to ask you any questions. He’d just give you a big sniff. Okay, you smell clean. Here’s your temple recommend.”
After church was over, we stayed for meetings. We talked a bit about our investigators. Brother G. was one of the members present at the meetings. He brought up the time when he went on exchanges with us to go teach S. Sister H said that for S to progress in the gospel, she’s going to have to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon. She’s got to start reading on her own. Without her doing that, she’s just spinning her wheels. We can go there and teach but if S can’t pick up the Book of Mormon, read it and pray about it, she won’t progress except maybe at a snail’s pace.
S is standing at the edge of a pool. She wants to figure out why people are so happy swimming around, but she doesn’t want to get wet. For S to find out why the people in the pool are so happy she has to immerse herself; she has to swim for herself. The quickest way to do that is by reading the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is a springboard to testimony and personal revelation. (Elder Pierce drew a picture of a pool with a diving board. On the ladder is a sign saying “Read”. As you read (climb the ladder) and reach the top of the diving board (Book of Mormon) you have a choice. Jump or climb back down.)
We didn’t get to teach J O’N today. After we got home from church there was a message on our machine from Brother N. He said that J’s mom had dislocated her hip and he was visiting her in the hospital. That’s why he wasn’t at church today said Brother N. J does want to meet with us later in the week. So, alright; we can do that.
We saw DO at church. He didn’t come to our ward. He came to the meeting after ours. He said he forgot what time church started. We told him it would be good to stay and have sacrament with the Reston ward. We went back and visited with Brother O after church. We asked him how he liked church. He said it was pretty good. We watched a video with him. He enjoyed that.
Later we went tracting for an hour. Not much came of it. My t.t.h. is now at 55.
Tonight as we were heading home, we met a nice young woman named A. She lives in the same apt. complex as A. She’s talked with the missionaries from our church before, but had lost contact. We have it all set up to go see her on Tuesday. Well, I’m about done for the night. (“I’m tired. I’m gonna go take a nap. Wake me if there’s a fire.”-Max Bialastock, Mel Brooks “The Producers” 1968-the Original version. One of the best films ever made. Pure genius)
posted by Garden Anywhere Box | 5:38 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home