The Sacred Valley

Such a prayer I never heard from the lips of man. I left him alone praying. I went home and told my wife, "I saw a sight and heard today what I never saw or heard before," and just related to her what I had seen and heard and observed. We never thought a man could be a soldier and a Christian, but if there is one in the world, it is Washington. We thought it was the cause of God, and America could prevail.
____________________________Isaac Potts

I went to Valley Forge this afternoon. It is holy ground. It marked a turning point in the American Revolutionary War. I walked where General George Washington walked. And I was moved...spiritually and emotionally. This was his headquarters during the Winter of 1777-1778. Not a single fire was shot at Valley Forge, yet 2000 of an army of 12,000 men died for the cause of freedom here. And it proved to be a victorious campaign. The army was tested. Their cause was tested. I believe Washington was tested here far greater than he was in any other battle of weapons. His will was tested...his faith was tested. And he chose to serve God despite the hardship. The army left this valley refined and prepared to endure several more years of war because of Washington's leadership here.

I walked the National Park wondering where the General offered his prayer of gratitude and supplication. I wondered if he passed by his men on his way to pray. Offering them words of encouragement...making sure they were as comfortable as they could be given the harsh circumstances. Reminding them of the cause of freedom similar to another great captain 1800 years earlier--"In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children..." (Alma 46:12)

And then after visiting with his men, perhaps he continued walking alone. I looked for a grove of trees that may have been suitable for him. Wondering if he may have chosen an area with three majestic trees...symbolizing the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Or perhaps General Washington walked further. Perhaps across this field and into a more secluded area. "And therefore, at this time, Moroni prayed that the cause of the Christians, and the freedom of the land might be favored. And it came to pass that when he had poured out his soul to God, he named all the land....A chosen land, and the land of liberty." (Alma 46:16-17)

Although I do not know the exact location of his prayer, the spirit of this sacred valley can still be felt today. His prayer must have been so sincere, heartfelt, and according to the will of God that the spirit of that prayer lives on. I felt something as I walked this valley. And I will forever thank God that George Washington lived his life in such a way that he was able to take part in preparing this land for the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I can't wait to meet him someday. It will be an honor to be in his presence.

Champion Chess Players in the Scriptures

I'm not a great chess player. I love the game...I love the strategy...but I'm not a great chess player. But there's another version of chess that I'm getting better at. It's a spiritual version. And I have champion spiritual chess players to look up to like Adam, Moses, Melchizedek, Nephi, Joseph Smith and the greatest one of all - Captain Moroni. Maybe some background will help you see how these men were such expert chess players.

In Seminary, we recently studied the Jaredite civilization. The group came out of present-day Iraq about 2200 B.C. Their language was preserved following the destruction of the Tower of Babel and they were brought by the hand of the Lord to the American continent.

Hugh Nibley wrote that "The insane wars of the Jaredite chiefs ended in the complete annihilation of both sides, with the kings the last to go." He went on to describe two Asiatic tactics of warfare:

1) Since every war is strictly a personal contest between kings, the battle must continue until one of the kings falls or is taken.
2) And yet things are so arranged that the king must be very last to fall, the whole army existing for the sole purpose of defending his person.

He goes on to say that "This is clearly seen in the game of chess, in which all pieces are expendable except the king, who can never be taken. 'The shah in chess,' writes M. E. Moghadam, 'is not killed and does not die. The game is terminated when the shah is pressed into a position from which he cannot escape. This is in line with all good traditions of chess playing, and back of it the tradition of capturing the king in war rather than slaying him whenever that could be accomplished.' You will recall the many instances in the book of Ether in which kings were kept in prison for many years but not killed. In the code of medieval chivalry, taken over from central Asia, the person of the king is sacred, and all others must perish in his defense. As long as the war went on, the king could not die, for whenever he did die, the war was over, no matter how strong his surviving forces. Wars of extermination are a standard institution in the history of Asia."

Fascinating. But what's the connection? How can I apply this game of chess to my spiritual life? Stay with me just a little longer. I'm getting there. It came to all of us as we were taking this journey together during the lesson.

Actually, I'll cut it short. Because it would make this post way too long if I went into the other part of this learning experience. I'll save that for another time. But here's the bottom line/application:

Wherefore, I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved. (Ether 8:26)

The great men listed above were great chess players because they learned how to place Satan in checkmate. If we humble ourselves and learn how to do good continually, we too can place him in checkmate...and he will have no power over us...no matter how strong his surviving forces are. The Savior has given us the ability to overcome Satan.

Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men. (Alma 48:17)

Simple Prayers

I wonder if God is being more intentional these days about answering prayers...or if I am just more observant lately? Or, if there is some truth to the first premise, I wonder if there is a reason God is being more intentional about answering prayers these days?

As a parent, one of my more heart-felt and sincere prayers is that God will answer my children's prayers. And the past few days, my prayers have been answered.

Like when my daughter loses a "precious" possession and comes to me in desperation. I'll often ask if she has prayed about it. Then, when she goes off to pray, I'll say a quiet, simple prayer myself, in desperation, that Heavenly Father will help her. And He has.

Or when my 5 year old comes running into our bedroom after lights have been turned off, as he did tonight, to excitedly share that he prayed his 2 year old brother would be quiet...and his prayer was answered. I encouraged him to tuck this away in his memory and/or write it down.

Another time, when our power went out in the dead of winter and we had to go to a hotel for a night. Eight individuals piled into one hotel room because 40,000 others in the area were in need of a room as well. It was a restless night. And our 2 year old woke up prematurely just before 6am. We desperately needed a little more sleep. And as I held him in my arms, I prayed that he would be calm so his siblings and mother could continue to sleep...just for a few more minutes. And the prayer was answered without hesitation.

Finally, tonight...a sweet 4 year old boy...who couldn't speak a single word 18 months ago due to a speech delay, offered a simple prayer of gratitude...using respectful pronouns:
Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank thee for the lights.
We thank thee for our house.
We thank thee for the snow.
We thank thee for...
And this sweet 4 year old went on and on. He may not have asked for one single thing, but his prayer was heard and will be answered all the same...he will be blessed.

These are the simple prayers that I have taken note of in the past few days. And they are being heard and answered.

I need to be more consistent in my prayers. I need to exercise more faith when I pray. I long to commune with my Father and feel Him near. And I pray that He will continue to bless my children.

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? --Matthew 7:11

John 12:28-29

I discovered something tonight and was fascinated by it. So I must share!

First, to make sure all readers are on the same page, the Godhead is comprised of three distinct personages: God the Father, His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. God the Father and Jesus Christ have glorified and immortal bodies of flesh and bone. The Holy Ghost is a spirit and does not have a body of flesh and bone.

Jesus Christ has divine investiture, which is the authority to speak for and in behalf of the Father. The best comparison would be a power of attorney when someone gives you the right to act on their behalf. In the scriptures, God the Father rarely speaks to His children. 99.999% of the time it is Jesus Christ speaking on behalf of God. Those few occasions when God the Father speaks are referenced in Matthew 3:16-17 when Jesus was baptized; Matthew 17:5 on the Mount of Transfiguration; 3 Nephi 11:6-7 when God introduced His Son to the Nephite nation who lived on the American continent. Christ appeared to this people shortly after his crucifixion. And Joseph Smith-History 1:17 when God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to the boy Joseph in 1820.

But here is an account I was not previously aware of and which is filled with incredible application. John 12:28-29 begins with the Savior speaking:

Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.

God spoke and I've never picked up on that before. And it wasn't to introduce or to bear record of His Son. He testified of Himself...and no one recognized Who it was. They didn't recognize their Father's voice. Here's the application as written by a modern day prophet, Harold B. Lee:

In the Gospel of John is related a parallel experience in the Master’s ministry showing how, out of a multitude, only a few—or none—may hear God when he speaks.

Only the Master, apparently, knew that God had spoken. So often today, men and women are living so far apart from things spiritual that when the Lord is speaking to their physical hearing, to their minds with no audible sound, or to them through his authorized servants who, when directed by the Spirit, are as his own voice, they hear only a noise as did they at Jerusalem. Likewise, they received no inspired wisdom, nor inward assurance, that the mind of the Lord has spoken through his prophet leaders.

Has God, our Heavenly Father, spoken to you lately? Did you hear it...or was it just noise?

Choose the Right

I need to do this more often...

Photo courtesy of Karen. Isn't it an amazing picture?!?

I'm keeping a list...

Van Jones
Kevin Jennings
Anita Dunn

I would not feel at home at the White House.

Traitors. Apostates. Defectors. Deserters. All disgraces to the American cause.

Does anyone at the White House represent the America I love?

Theology of the Family

So I'm getting ready to teach seminary in a week and am a bit anxious as to how it will all work out. In preparation, I attended a training session a couple weeks ago. The featured instructor based his lesson on a talk recently given by Julie Beck, Relief Society General President. So this post has no original thoughts from my head. :) They come from Sister Beck.

A key objective for seminary teachers is to include the Family in our daily lessons. They want The Family: A Proclamation to the World somewhere visible and referenced as often as possible. Church leadership is asking seminary teachers to help students prepare for eternal responsibilities. I believe it is in part because of what Paul taught the Ephesians: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Families are under attack from all directions. And the rising generation needs to clearly understand the importance of families (we all do).

There is a Theology of the Family in our Church...and it is based on the Creation, Fall, and Atonement. I had no idea. And yet this is the Plan of Salvation. I've been taught these basic pillars of the Gospel all my life...and until I heard Sister Beck share this insight, I had never connected the Creation, Fall, and Atonement to the family.

The creation of the Earth was intentional to form a family.

Through the leadership of Eve, the Fall provided opportunities for growth...both in numbers and in experience.

The Atonement allows the family to be sealed and provides eternal opportunities for growth.

The Plan of our Heavenly Father was created for the family. When we speak of qualifying for the blessings of eternal life, we are speaking of qualifying for the blessings of families. This was Christ's doctrine...and this is part of what was restored in these latter days.

Doctrine and Covenants 2 is a portion of Joseph Smith's interactions with the angel Moroni. And it is technically the earliest revelation recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants. It's message? Turning the hearts of the children to their fathers and the promises made of old. And that got me thinking about the Book of Mormon--what's the first message of the Book of Mormon? Even the very first verse...

I'm excited for what I am hopeful I will learn this year.