The Legend of Stu

Photo Courtesy of LDS.org

This entry of Keep Moving Forward is written in honor of Elder Nelson, my previous mission companion (see his mormon.org profile). If it hadn't been for serving nearly three months with you and listening to all your stories about "the river," I probably never would have thought of this post.

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Let's say you're looking to take a trip down the nearby Delavida River. You've got all the necessary supplies; boat, life jackets, paddles, oar, etc. You're just lacking one thing: a river guide. You've never been down the river before, and at least for this first time, you don't want to go it alone.

You consider looking in the phonebook (who am I kidding, no one looks in the phonebook anymore) looking online for some established river expedition companies, but then you get a better idea. Using your handy-dandy time machine, you zip back in time in search of Stu Williams, the first man to ever explore the river. You really want the trip to be authentic, and you figure he probably knows the river better than anyone else.

So, you jump back to the 1840's, find Stu, convince him you're not some kind of alien or wizard, and then eventually bring him to the future, promising to show him the wonders of our day (iPhone's, airplanes, flush toilets, etc.). You take him to a pond so that he can familiarize himself with modern boating equipment, and after a bit of practice, Stu says he's ready to take you down the river. So, you round up a few friends, and early the next morning you all disembark down the Delavida.

The trip is quite laid back at first. The river is calm, only requiring occasional paddling from you and a bit of steering from Stu in the back with the oars. While you float on, Stu tells you all about the history of the river and all the thrills of navigating its rapids and other hazards.

"Speakin' of which," says Stu, craning his head to the side, "pull 'er to the starboard, everyone. Don't want to run into ol' Nellie."

"Which side is starboard again?" your friend Steve pipes up.

"To th' right," says Stu, grunting as he heaves at the oars.

You follow his advice, even though you can't see any reason why. As you round the bend, though, you see Nellie, an ancient willow tree growing out of the side of the canyon wall.

"That's it? An old willow tree?" you remark.

"That might look like just another willow tree, but you can be sure there's a swarm of hornets livin' up in Nellie's branches," says Stu. Sure enough, as you pass by the tree you hear the steady drone of the insects at work.

In front of you, your friend Malorie shudders.

"Ugh. I'm glad we've got you here, Stu. I'm allergic to hornets."

"Happy to oblige," is all Stu replies, but you see a warm smile cross his face. You can tell he's enjoying himself.

"When's the next hazard?" you ask, wanting to stow your paddle for a second to drink some water.

"Well, if I reckon correctly, we should have a couple more miles of smooth sailin' until we hit another tricky bit..." Stu strokes his beard as he ponders the river.

"What's that noise then?" asks Kim, sitting up at the front.

Stu pauses, confused, listening to the river. You hear it too: the rushing of running water.

"What in tarnation..." mutters Stu. Before he has time to say anything else, your boat rounds the next corner, heading straight for a formidable whirlpool.

"Port! Port!" yells Stu, rowing with his might.

"Which one is port--"

"Left, confound it! Left!" yells Stu, cutting off Steve's question.

You all paddle frantically, seeking to cut across the whirlpool's outer edge. For a few frightening seconds, it seems as though you'll be sucked in, but eventually you pull through and shoot out of the pool's grasp. Panting, you all stow your paddles and try to catch your breath.

"What was that all about?" you ask between breaths.

"I'm not entirely sure," Stu remarks, taking off his hat and wiping his balding head. "I remember there being a little eddy around these parts, but nothing that powerful...things seem to have changed..."

Just as he says that, you pick up the sound of more rushing water.

"Stu?..." Kim asks timidly from the front.

Stu says something under his breath. You round another corner, and find yourselves facing  a sizable waterfall, created by two fallen boulders.

"What do we do?" you ask, not sure what way to paddle.

"Heck if I know! Hold tight!" yells Stu, looping his arm through a line running around the boat. You start to do the same, but not before the little boat plunges over the waterfall. The impact with the river below throws everyone except Stu from the boat. Thankfully, as you surface, you see that everyone seems to have made it through alright.

"Hang on! I'm comin' round to pick you up! Just lay on your back with your feet downriver!" Stu shouts, rowing frantically. You do what he says, but as you wait, you can't help but wonder if taking him along was the best idea after all...

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So, what do we take from this perilous adventure with an ancient river guide? A lesson about guidance in this life. Perhaps you picked up that the river Delavida would really be the river de la vida in Spanish, or the river of life (boy, I'm clever, aren't I?). So, in that case, who is Stu? I've been thinking of Stu, in this case, as the Scriptures.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we study the Bible and consider it the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly (Articles of Faith 1:9) (to hear other members' thoughts about the Bible, head over to mormon.org). It's words give us guidance and support. I absolutely love reading the words of Christ in the New Testament; Matthew Chapter 5 and John Chapter 15 especially have found a special place in my heart.

When the Restoration of the Church took place in the 1830's, another book of scripture came forth: The Book of Mormon. This book, written by ancient prophets in the Americas, serves as another testament of Jesus Christ. It contains his words and his teachings, and supports the Bible. Together, the Book of Mormon and the Bible proclaim the truth and confound false doctrines (see 2 Nephi 3:12; the "fruit of the loins of Judah" are the jewish people (who wrote the bible), the "fruit of thy loins" (in this case referring to Joseph of Egypt) are the people described in the Book of Mormon, whom authored said book).

In addition, God revealed many things concerning His kingdom to Joseph Smith. These revelations were compiled in two other books of scripture, The Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price.

So, what with all these scriptures, aren't we well enough off? Shouldn't we be able to handle things pretty well with all these words of the Prophets?

In a word, no.

Just as changes had taken place in the river that Stu couldn't navigate, with only the words of prophets of times of old, we won't be able to get all the guidance we need. There's a wonderful quote from a General Authority (which I can't find at the moment) that says that, even if we had all the lost or missing scriptures in the world (the sealed portion of the Revelation of John, the rest of the plates of Ether, etc.), it would still be impossible to run the Church without living, current revelation. The words of the previous prophets can give us a marvelous base, to be sure, and we may be able to conquer some of the trials we face today based on those principles. But the bottom line is, we need modern revelation.

That's why millions of Church members flock to listen to General Conference. That's why I tear through every issue of the Ensign (the Church's monthly magazine) I can get my hands on. That's why we really, really mean it when we sing "We Thank Thee, O God, For A Prophet" (Hymns, #19)

I know that God lives and loves us. I know that He knows how to help us overcome any and all trials or problems we may face in this life. I know that He sends us Prophets in order to do so. I know that the Prophets and Apostles on the earth today are called of God, and they speak the words of God. I invite all of you to hearken to their words. I do so in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Have a great week! Keep Moving Forward!

-Elder Richmond

How Atheists are Sometimes Right (Part 1)

[Notice: I want to make it completely clear before we start: As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we believe in God, our Heavenly Father. (See Article of Faith 1). This post will compare and contrast certain beliefs of ours with those of Atheists, but church members ("Mormons") are Christians, and believe in Diety.]

As missionaries, we talk to a lot of people. From what I've seen (which is possibly biased because most of the people I talk to are Hispanic), most of them believe in God. They have different senses of who He is or what He does, but they believe in Him, regardless. Even the few agnostics I've met believe in a higher "something;" they're just not sure whether that something is God or some other force.

Very rarely have I encountered a pure atheist: someone who absolutely believes there is no God, nor a higher power like God. They stand out in the crowd of theology.

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we stand out, too. We're Christians, like many, but some of our beliefs, like the Restoration of the Gospel (see mormon.org for more info) put us add odds with those of different faiths.

As I've thought about how the two groups, Mormons and Atheists, sometimes get attacked because of what they believe, it made me think about what exactly we're defending. And, in pondering some of the statements Atheists have made, I find that I agree.

How is this possible? Let's take a look:

Most atheists I know of don't just simply not believe in God; they have reasons for it. We'll consider three common atheistic statements, and see if we can't find some common ground.

Statement 1: "I don't believe that God exists because of all the terrible things that happen in this world. If there really was a loving, caring, all-powerful being governing the universe, He wouldn't let such things happen."

In considering this (and the other statements), I'll rephrase just a bit:

"I don't believe in an all-powerful Being who takes away all of the pains and tragedies in this world."

And neither do I.

To be certain, God is our loving Heavenly Father. As John put it, "God is love," (1 John 4:16), and He has all the power imaginable. If He wanted, he could take away all the natural disasters, all the pains and sicknesses, and all the evils of this world. But, as is apparent from daily life, He doesn't do this. Why not?

We'll turn to the writings of a Book of Mormon prophet, Lehi. In his final words of counsel to his posterity, he spoke at length about happiness and the purpose of his life. In part of his remarks, he firmly decrees that "men are, that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25) In the same sermon, though, Lehi also states:

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so,... righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad." (2 Nephi 2:11)

Essentially, Lehi is saying that there have to be two opposites in order to make a comparison. In order to know happiness, we also need to know what sadness is. If we really want to understand joy, we'll have to understand sorrow as well. Lehi teaches us that the point of this life is not to try and make it through with as few bumps or bruises as possible. We need to learn what's bad in this life so that we can more fully appreciate what's good. And, thanks to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we always have someone we can turn to when life gets rough. Christ suffered everything that we will suffer (See Alma 7:11-12), and so he knows exactly what we need to feel better. And, if we turn to Him through prayer and obedience to His gospel, He'll make us whole again.

God loves us. He loves us so much that he sent us here to this earth so we could come to understand true happiness. And He loves us so much that he sent his Son to earth, so that all that is unjust or unfair might be made right again.

I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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Thanks for reading! See you next time! Keep Moving Forward!

-Elder Richmond

111

Hello everyone! And welcome to another installment of Keep Moving Forward!

So, to start off this week, we're going a long, long time ago...just about two years ago, in fact, as I was starting my first year of college at BYU. I was more than a bit disoriented, leaving my small town of 3,000 and living on campus with approximately 10,000 other freshman. At this time, I was very grateful for the counsel of Stephen Biddulph, the bishop of my student ward. (Bishops? Wards? Check out the official church Infographic below!)

In an early talk in Sacrament Meeting, Bishop Biddulph noted how our ward was the 111th. He told us how, to him, the one's seemed to be L's, all standing for the same word: Love. He then shared what he'd chosen as the theme for our ward that year: Love yourself. Love Those Around You. Love God. This was remarkable counsel; I posted it on all the bulletin boards in our dorm. What was better, though, is that the entire ward took it upon themselves. They loved each other. They felt good about themselves. And they loved God, serving Him with diligence. Largely because of this, those two semesters contained some of the happiest times of my life (before my mission, which is even more amazing).

Now, after having studied the scriptures and learned a bit more, I can see that Bishop Biddulph's advice mirrored some teachings of the Savior in the Gospel of Mark:

"And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these..."

(Mark 12:28-31. There's a wonderful video of this conversation here as well)

So, we see three important relationships we have in life: that with God, that with other people, and that with ourselves. In the coming weeks, I'd like to look at how the principle of Forgiveness applies to each of these relationships, and how doing so can help us Keep Moving Forward. In the meantime, though, I invite you to analyze: What do you do to show your love for yourself? How do you express your love for others? And how can you better show your love for Heavenly Father?

I've come to know that the frantic things in life tend to dissolve as we focus ourselves on increasing the love in these relationships. I know that, when things seem dark and gloomy, often the best thing to do is to serve. To forgive is also good; we'll look at that in the future. But until then, remember: Love God. Love your Neighbor. Love Yourself.

And Keep Moving Forward.

-Elder Richmond