Creating opportunities for lasting change and strength

 The comments of a fellow laborer have caused me to review what I have learned about engaging others in moving forward the work of the Lord.

What is that work?  It is the work of empowering, blessing, and aiding progress in goodness and discipleship in the lives of those involved and those they seek to assist.

I have seen multiple ways of attempting to engage fellow saints in the work of the Lord.

Encouraging, cheerleading, advertising, talking up, pontificating, making it fun, testifying, socializing, including delicious food, involving competition, forming teams, adding energetic music, persuading, debating, setting goals, providing rewards, tracking and celebrating progress, dramatic performances, expert (or non expert) media, athletics, clean humor, games; any one of them, and more, can be and have been utilized in efforts to increase engagement.

These are not intrinsically bad things. They are often enjoyable and inviting to at least some of the participants we invite. And people of all ages enjoy them and benefit from having them in their lives. However, no matter how engaging and fun they might be, they are, essentially, the equivalent of beach  sand.  They are not, and will never be, what is needed for a lasting foundation for finding, long-term, the peace, hope and vision that the Lord's work offers.   And as we consider employing the ways of involving listed above, we need to remember that.

Employing them as a "way to get people to come or to participate" so that you can "teach them what you want them to know and engage them in the good work" may well get them involved.  But it will never be enough to help them see what is possible. That method of engagement does not, ultimately, work long term.  And sometimes it even distracts or distresses, actually hindering progress.

Our work is to be like Jesus, and in his manner, speak, love and invite to a place where, whatever we are doing, what we create there will help them to feel His love and understand better what is possible.

The only thing I have seen work long-term in our efforts to create lasting fundamental change in the lives of others who we hope to engage in the work of the Lord is this: to make the following combination of elements, listed below, the essence of our work and the essence of every activity we create in our efforts to invite others to experience and engage in that work.

The list:  Loving others honestly, loving the Lord, treating others with dignity, speaking truth with soberness and kindness, listening respectfully and carefully, consecrating what we have to the Lord, living in gratitude, being fully aware of and responding to needs, and following the promptings we are gently given through the Holy Ghost.

That's a tall order. Yet, without those elements (however imperfectly) being at the heart of, and the essence of, every aspect of our work, those we seek to engage will find that they have been invited to build houses, but that too much of what they have been given to build upon is just sand.

"I'm Trying to be Like...."

 "Christ was not interested in himself, but in his Father and his Father's children.  He did not care to hear himself called good.  It was not of consequence to him.  He was there to let men see the goodness of the Father in whom he glorified."

~ George MacDonald, "The Way", Unspoken Sermons, Volume 2

Doctrine and Covenants 24: 7-8

 You shall devote all your service to God’s work of uniting people in love and care for each other here on earth; and in this you will have strength.

Be patient in afflictions, for you shall have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with you, even unto the end of your days.

Doctrine and Covenants 20:18-21: A scriptural definition of “church” as found in the KJV, and the sin of contention.

 “The word ‘church’ (Hebrew qahal or edah; Greek ekklesia) had a slightly broader meaning anciently than it does now. It referred to an assembly, congregation, or association of people who bonded together and shared the same loyalties. Thus, the term was not necessarily restricted to religious associations; in fact, in Athens the Greeks used the term to denote the legislative assembly of government.

“Originally, the term ekklesia, formed from two words meaning call and out, referred to those citizens whom heralds called out or summoned to public meetings. Thus, it was an ideal word to represent the body of individuals whom God “calls out” of the world through the Holy Ghost. The civil dimension of the word appears in Acts 19:32, where assembly in the KJV is a translation of the Greek ekklesia.”

“The term abominable is used in the Old Testament to describe what God hates, what cannot fail to arouse his wrath.”

“ When we put all this together, we find that the term ‘great and abominable church’ means an immense assembly or association of people bound together by their loyalty to that which God hates.”

~ Stephen Robinson, “Warring Against the Saints”, Ensign, January 1988

“Our...enemy is wickedness—those who love darkness more than light and who serve the evil one.  Those who attack other [religious denominations] violate the Lord’s command, as stated in this verse [Doctrine and Covenants  18:20]...In fact thy run a great risk that by adopting Satan’s methodology—in this case, argument and contention—they may themselves become members of the ‘church of the devil’”

~ Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, p. 107, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book, 2000

“For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit  of contention is not of me, but  is of the  devil, who is the father  of contention, and he stirreth up the  hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.  Behold,  this is not  my doctrine,  to stir up the  hearts of men with anger,  one against another;  but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done  away.”   ~ 3rd Nephi  11:29-30

There is, in scripture, permission given to contend with “the 'church' of the devil” ( Doctrine  and Covenants 18:20).   Tellingly, that verse is bracketed clearly with the declaration that without faith, hope and charity you can do nothing  (verse 19) and the admonition to speak the truth with soberness (verse 21)).

The bracketing verses clearly indicate that this contending against evil that is allowed is one that  eschews  any involvement in the sin of contention, but manifests itself instead by its truth speaking that is aimed at those who, like the devil, love to and rejoice in harming, denigrating and hating others of God’s children (Moses 7:29-34).  And those verses clearly indicate that God requires that such truth speaking on our part be fully grounded in faith, hope and love, and delivered in self-restrained and profound seriousness.

It seems that no matter what your cause, nor what evil organization or group you are contending against, when you embrace or indulge in anger and contention you lose your alignment with God.

Seymour Brunson and Oliver Cowdery

Seymour Brunson received baptism in 1831 in Northern Ohio.  After serving as a missionary, he moved his family to Far West, Missouri in early 1837 where he was called to act as a temporary member of the high council.  

As tensions and fear of failure to be able to live in safety and economic stability increased in Far West, anxiety about the survival of the new town increased, and people in the community became concerned about the possibility that division of opinions or independent actions by members would harm the viability of the new settlement.  And anxiety and fear of failure often lead to deep distrust of conflicting opinions.

Oliver Cowdery, sustained as the “Assistant President of the church” in 1834, was also living in Far West and, to support his family, had established a law office.  As a lawyer he was concerned about conflicts between what he saw as constitutional law and directives being given by the high council in that city and he expressed those.  He also was concerned about Joseph Smith’s relationship with Fanny Alger which, as polygamy had not yet been made a matter of public knowledge, smacked of adultery to him.  

Stress levels among members of the church in Far West were considerable as the church began settle the area amidst increasing and threatening opposition from Missourians outside of Far West, and their own concerns about their ability, as a united group, to live a new form of community that later became known as the “United Order”.  Inevitably, members of the Far West high council began to be concerned that Cowdery’s, and others leaders' expressed concerns would undercut people’s trust in Joseph Smith and their church authority in decision making regarding property and speech, thus creating disunity.  

An article about about the excommunications that occurred in April of 1838, published by BYU Studies describes the series of events that happened in Far West that month, including the following:

On Wednesday, April 11, 1838,  Seymour Brunson preferred the following charges against Oliver Cowdery, to the High Council at Far West: 

To the Bishop and Council of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I prefer the following charges against President Oliver Cowdery.

“First—For persecuting the brethren by urging on vexatious law suits against them, and thus distressing the innocent.

“Second—For seeking to destroy the character of President Joseph Smith, Jun., by falsely insinuating that he was guilty of adultery.

“Third—For treating the Church with contempt by not attending meetings.

“Fourth—For virtually denying the faith by declaring that he would not be governed by any ecclesiastical authority or revelations whatever, in his temporal affairs.  [This was addressed in Oliver’s letter to the council and was withdrawn by the council]

“Fifth—For selling his lands in Jackson county, contrary to the revelations. [This was addressed in Oliver’s letter to the council and was withdrawn by the council]

“Sixth—For writing and sending an insulting letter to President Thomas B. Marsh, while the latter was on the High Council, attending to the duties of his office as President of the Council, and by insulting the High Council with the contents of said letter. [This charge was withdrawn]

“Seventh—For leaving his calling to which God had appointed him by revelation, for the sake of filthy lucre, and turning to the practice of law.

Eighth—For disgracing the Church by being connected in the bogus business [the practice of law], as common report says.

“Ninth—For dishonestly retaining notes after they had been paid; and finally, for leaving and forsaking the cause of God, and returning to the beggarly elements of the world, and neglecting his high and holy calling, according to his profession.”

The Bishop and High Council assembled at the Bishop’s office, April 12, 1838. After the organization of the Council, the above charges of the 11th instant were read, also a letter from Oliver Cowdery (see notes below), as will be found recorded in the Church record of the city of Far West, Book A. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 8th, and 9th charges were sustained. As noted above, the 4th and 5th charges were rejected, and the 6th was withdrawn. Consequently he (Oliver Cowdery) was considered no longer a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Also voted by the High Council that Oliver Cowdery be no longer a committee to select locations for the gathering of the Saints.

An indication of the extent of the levels of stress and fear among the population of Far West could well be measured by the response by many of them to this excommunication of Oliver Cowdery and several other prominent church leaders that week. Though the High Council did not direct those who were excommunicated to leave, a dire and threatening letter addressed to those individuals promising personal violence if they did not leave Far West was signed by 83 men of the community and delivered to those individuals.

This letter and its signatures not only effectively drove these men and their families out of the town, but also ended up being the early origins of the Danite movement, whose inclination to solve problems by intimidation caused multiple problems in the ensuing decades.

As one considers the multiple levels of personal as well as community tragedy that played out as a result of this situation in Far West during that April of 1838 and the various struggles and tragedies that followed in the ensuing years in the lives of many who were involved in this story, and which tragedies and struggles had some roots in this story, it is interesting to note two poignant occurrences in the seven years leading up to what happened in April, 1838, in Far West

1. Oliver Cowdery had ordained Seymour Brunson to the office of High Priest in 1831.

2. Three years before he moved to Far West, Seymour Brunson and his wife received patriarchal blessings  on 4 May 1835, under the hands of Joseph Smith Sr. And in his blessing Seymour was counseled to show more mercy to the Saints.  Harriet was counseled to be more humble.

Bibliograpy

Bushman, "Joseph Smith Rough Stone Rolling," 124; 

BYU Studies-Further Studies, Church History, volume 3, chapter 2, p.13    https://byustudies.byu.edu/further-study-lesson/volume-3-chapter-2/#fn-1

Olson, Ferrin A., Seymour Brunson, Defender of the Faith, published by author, 1999

Gentry, Leland H., “The Danite Band of 1838”, BYU Studies Quarterly, Volume 14, issue 4, article 4, https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1686&context=byusq

“Life Sketch of Seymour Brunson”, https://seymourbrunson.blogspot.com/

Vogel, Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet, Salt Lake City, Signature Books, 2004, p. 548

Note:

Oliver Cowdery’s letter to the council

Far West, Missouri, April 12, 1838.

Dear Sir:—I received your note of the 9th inst., on the day of its date, containing a copy of nine charges preferred before yourself and Council against me, by Elder Seymour Brunson.

I could have wished that those charges might have been deferred until after my interview with President Smith; but as they are not, I must waive the anticipated pleasure with which I had flattered myself of an understanding on those points which are grounds of different opinions on some Church regulations, and others which personally interest myself.

The fifth charge reads as follows: “For selling his lands in Jackson County contrary to the revelations.” So much of this charge, “for selling his lands in Jackson County,” I acknowledge to be true, and believe that a large majority of this Church have already spent their judgment on that act, and pronounced it sufficient to warrant a disfellowship; and also that you have concurred in its correctness, consequently, have no good reason for supposing you would give any decision contrary.

Now, sir, the lands in our country are allodial in the strictest construction of that term, and have not the least shadow of feudal tenures attached to them, consequently, they may be disposed of by deeds of conveyance without the consent or even approbation of a superior.

The fourth charge is in the following words, “For virtually denying the faith by declaring that he would not be governed by any ecclesiastical authority nor revelation whatever in his temporal affairs.”

With regard to this, I think I am warranted in saying, the judgment is also passed as on the matter of the fifth charge, consequently, I have no disposition to contend with the Council; this charge covers simply the doctrine of the fifth, and if I were to be controlled by other than my own judgment, in a compulsory manner, in my temporal interests, of course, could not buy or sell without the consent of some real or supposed authority. Whether that clause contains the precise words, I am not certain—I think however they were these, “I will not be influenced, governed, or controlled, in my temporal interests by any ecclesiastical authority or pretended revelation whatever, contrary to my own judgment.” Such being still my opinion shall only remark that the three great principles of English liberty, as laid down in the books, are “the right of personal security, the right of personal liberty, and the right of private property.” My venerable ancestor was among the little band, who landed on the rocks of Plymouth in 1620—with him he brought those maxims, and a body of those laws which were the result and experience of many centuries, on the basis of which now stands our great and happy government; and they are so interwoven in my nature, have so long been inculcated into my mind by a liberal and intelligent ancestry that I am wholly unwilling to exchange them for anything less liberal, less benevolent, or less free.

The very principle of which I conceive to be couched in an attempt to set up a kind of petty government, controlled and dictated by ecclesiastical influence, in the midst of this national and state government. You will, no doubt, say this is not correct; but the bare notice of these charges, over which you assume a right to decide, is, in my opinion, a direct attempt to make the secular power subservient to Church direction—to the correctness of which I cannot in conscience subscribe—I believe that principle never did fail to produce anarchy and confusion.

This attempt to control me in my temporal interests, I conceive to be a disposition to take from me a portion of my Constitutional privileges and inherent right—I only, respectfully, ask leave, therefore, to withdraw from a society assuming they have such right.

So far as relates to the other seven charges, I shall lay them carefully away, and take such a I shall lay them carefully away, and take such a course with regard to them, as I may feel bound by my honor, to answer to my rising posterity.

I beg you, sir, to take no view of the foregoing remarks, other than my belief in the outward government of this Church. I do not charge you, or any other person who differs with me on these points, of not being sincere, but such difference does exist, which I sincerely regret.

With considerations of the highest respect, I am, your obedient servant,

[signed.] Oliver Cowdery.

Walketh in his own way and after the image of his own god Doctrine and Covenants 1:16

 How does one  answer the question, “What idols or false gods do men worship?”

Actually, the better question is “what idols or false gods do I worship?”

Usually, when that  first question comes up in  a Sunday school class, members of the class come up with things that they see others caught up in acquiring or maintaining or lavishing attention on, or depending upon for personal validation or security, and that they think they themselves are not. However, the real question to answer is the second one.

Thinking about idolatry throughout the ages and the common threads throughout them, here is a set of questions I can ask myself when I wish to find a more honest and accountable answer to that second question.  Sobering for me to go through.

To whom (not what, nor what book) do I look for guidance in the matters of greatest importance or greatest concern in  my life?

What do I turn to for a daily sense of validation, self-worth, or approval that I seek?

To whom or what do I look to validate the rightness and acceptability of the decisions I make or of my point of view?

On whose respect or approval, or on what accomplishments in my life, does my sense of being successful rest?

Of all possibilities, with whom do I most wish to work in unity?

Of  all the “hats”  I wear, honestly, which one feels most valuable to me?  And do I behave in accordance with it if the answer is “a servant of God”?

What causes me to pause when I am given an opportunity to engage in work aimed at “feeding the poor, visiting the sick, and comforting the weary”?

What am I placing my trust in when I have the means and opportunity to share but I “withhold my substance from the poor” anyway?

Jealousy, Avarice, Worry and Self-indulgence. JAWS

Four things that make it harder for me to hear God's personal communication with me.

"Give heed to God's message through inspiration. If self-indulgence, jealousy, avarice or worry have deadened your response, pray to the Lord to wipe out these impediments." ~ David O. McKay, (1873-1970), Vol. 117, No. 5, Millennial Star, May 1955

 

Doctrine and Covenants 3:7 “For behold, you should not have feared man more than God”

 “For behold, you should not have feared man more than God”

It strikes me that this is a sentence that, due to the situation in which it was spoken or written or received, refers not to fear of threat, or danger,  or misuse of power from others, but to a fear of displeasing someone who has a strong desire that you do something, that seems reasonable to him, and maybe even within reason to you when, in fact, when you asked the Lord about it, He advised you not to do that thing.

The desire to please someone, or to avoid disharmony, or to not rock the boat, or to give way to authority, power, or age or experience, or to support, as a friend or relation, someone else’s proposed plans  (which desires are not uncommon)  should never be of greater value to me than my determination and desire to do that which the Lord has lovingly, personally counseled me to do when I have asked Him for guidance on the decision at hand.

Doctrine and Covenants 1:31, Why God "draws the line"

"For I, the Lord, cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance;"

~ Doctrine and Covenants 1:31

Why?  What is His reason? Because He hates disobedience? Because His priority is our compliance with His laws or our living up to His standards?   Because judgment is His focus, causing Him to be hyper-alert to our failures and weakness? 

Neal A. Maxwell: it's "because of the terrible toll sin exacts from the happiness of those [He] loves."        ~ Lord Increase Our Faith, p.24

His reason for His view of sin: a deep love and devoted concern for you and your welfare and protection, and the welfare and protection of those, both nearby and far, who may be negatively impacted by your sinful decisions and actions.

It is hard to imagine in this world of highly judgmental and condemnatory power struggles, but really, the essence and motive of God is love.  

1st John 4:8

https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/explore-the-bible/god-is-love-5-implications-of-this-amazing-attribute-of-god.html

Ether 12:25-41 ...when people you care about not only don't get it, they think it's stupid...

 Moroni’s conversation with the Lord.  

Ether 12: 25-41

 

Moroni: We are trying to express what we know is true and right as clearly and compellingly as we possibly can, guided as much by the Spirit as we can, but, knowing them, I am afraid that they will not believe any of it, but instead consider our words foolish, naïve and laughable and not understand that which is so essential that they understand.  My best efforts at persuasion or explaining are not enough. And knowing that, I am concerned and dismayed.

 

The Lord: Yes.  They will mock.  And, in the end, they will be very sad that they did not pay attention or consider what you wrote.   But remember that my grace, my loving, willing, powerful help, is enough to prevent them from irrevocably misusing what you have written.

    That’s the power of my grace.  And my grace can be enough for every man or woman who struggles with weakness and is humbled as he/she realizes that weakness and turns to me for help. That’s a major reason why I give you weakness.  It helps you to humble yourself and to want and ask for my help.  And then, with my grace, what is a weakness when you try by yourself, becomes a strength as we work together.  (Working together is an essential element of celestial life.)

     Those people who will mock?  They will, in time, see clearly the eternally erroneous elements of the position they have taken.  I will show them that the things they are espousing and doing that they think are good and strong, are not; that if they wish to be one with me what they really need to do is become full of faith in me, place their hope in what I know is possible for them, and become truly filled with charity.  You can trust me with that work.

 

Moroni: Thanks.  Being reminded of that is helpful.  I will trust you as this unfolds. …I know the power of charity, and how essential it is.  I know the power of faith in you…just look at what Jared’s brother was able to do because he trusted you so faithfully.  I understand what glorious future may await us and the immense love you have for us; so immense that you gave your life for us.  It is woven throughout your work.  Truly charity is absolutely essential to and the very essence of celestial life.

   I understand now that, if those we are so very concerned about do not respond with charity to our efforts and words, but instead mock or deride what we believe and know, that you will make it so that, in time, they will be able to see themselves and their choices exactly as they are, and what they really are when they are without the strengths they have that you have given to them and out of touch with the grace that you offer to them.

    So, Lord, would you please, with your grace, make it so that they have more charity and become open to your grace sooner than later?  That would save so much time and trouble and sorrow for them and for me.

 

The Lord:  Don’t worry about whether or not they have charity.  That’s for me to address.  Your not worrying about that helps you to continue to work with me to assist others, to increase in faith, repent, be forgiven, become more at one with me, and grow in charity and grace.

     Your awareness of your own weakness and your turning to me for help opens you to working with my grace, making you more empowered to do good in the world and preparing you to be able to come to the place I have prepared for you.  Focus on that.

Moroni (later, speaking to the audience):  And now I..bid farewell to you, and to my brothers who I dearly love, until we shall meet before the judgment-seat of Chist…And then shall you know that I have seen Jesus, and that he has talked with me face to face, and that he told me in in plain humility, even as a man tells another in my own language, these things.

     I would strongly and kindly and fervently recommend that you seek Jesus, so that you can come to know and experience first hand the grace that comes from Him, and from God the Father, and the Holy Ghost (who bears record of them) and so that you can also experience His amazing grace in your life not just once, but forever.

        

Owning Less, Consecrating More

“Owning less frees up money and time and energy and focus.”  ~ Joshua Becker

 Through minimalism, you have more funds, time, energy and focus to maximize your involvement in, and support of, all the things that matter to you most.”

https://www.becomingminimalist.com/maximalism/ 

Discipleship, Timothy, Chapter 4

 So...what to do now, here, amidst all that is going on?

Reflecting on Paul’s words to Timothy, this morning.

...seek to live a life of godliness...

...godliness is profitable with all things, benefiting both the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.

...be an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity...give attendance to reading and study, to teaching, to doctrine.

Neglect not the gift that is in you, which was given to you by divine inspiration with the laying on of the hands of the elders.

Meditate upon these things, give yourself wholly to them so that the good that results from that may be evident to others.

Be consistently careful and sober and purposeful and loving in your discipleship, for in so doing you will not only be engaged in God’s work for your own salvation, but also in the work of blessing and helping those with whom you interact and who hear your words.

James Talmage on the concept of hell

"During this hundred years [since 1830] many other great truths not known before, have been declared to the people, and one of the greatest is that to hell there is an exit as well as an entrance. Hell is no place to which a vindictive judge sends prisoners to suffer and to be punished principally for his glory; but it is a place prepared for the teaching, the disciplining of those who failed to learn here upon the earth what they should have learned. True, we read of everlasting punishment, unending suffering, eternal damnation. That is a direful expression; but in his mercy the Lord has made plain what those words mean. "Eternal punishment," he says, is God's punishment, for he is eternal; and that condition or state or possibility will ever exist for the sinner who deserves and really needs such condemnation; but this does not mean that the individual sufferer or sinner is to be eternally and everlastingly made to endure and suffer. No man will be kept in hell longer than is necessary to bring him to a fitness for something better. When he reaches that stage the prison doors will open and there will be rejoicing among the hosts who welcome him into a better state." James E Talmage - CR1930Apr:95-97

Jeremiah, chapter 5

 Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:...

For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.

As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and increasingly rich.

They are are increasingly fat and sleek: yea, they overlook the deeds of the wicked: they consider not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not consider.

Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this

A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;

The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so.

Weavers, Not Rippers

 David Brooks, “A Nation of Weavers”, February 18, 2019

I start with the pain. A couple times a week I give a speech somewhere in the country about social isolation and social fragmentation. Very often a parent comes up to me afterward and says, “My daughter took her life when she was 14.” Or, “My son died of an overdose when he was 20.”

Their eyes flood with tears. I don’t know what to say. I squeeze a shoulder just to try to be present with them, but the crying does not stop. As it turns to weeping they rush out of the auditorium and I am left with my own futility. What can I say to these parents? What can I say to the parents still around who don’t yet know they may soon become those parents?

This kind of pain is an epidemic in our society. When you cover the sociology beat as I do, you see other kinds of pain. The African-American woman in Greenville who is indignant because young black kids in her neighborhood face injustice just as gross as she did in 1953. The college student in the Midwest who is convinced that she is the only one haunted by compulsive thoughts about her own worthlessness. The Trump-supporting small-business man in Louisiana who silently clenches his fists in rage as guests at a dinner party disparage his whole way of life.

These different kinds of pain share a common thread: our lack of healthy connection to each other, our inability to see the full dignity of each other, and the resulting culture of fear, distrust, tribalism, shaming and strife.

On Dec. 7, 1941, countless Americans saw that their nation was in peril and walked into recruiting stations. We don’t have anything as dramatic as Pearl Harbor, but when 47,000 Americans kill themselves every year and 72,000 more die from drug addiction, isn’t that a silent Pearl Harbor? When the basic norms of decency, civility and truthfulness are under threat, isn’t that a silent Pearl Harbor? Aren’t we all called at moments like these to do something extra?

My something extra was starting something nine months ago at the Aspen Institute called Weave: The Social Fabric Project. The first core idea was that social isolation is the problem underlying a lot of our other problems. The second idea was that this problem is being solved by people around the country, at the local level, who are building community and weaving the social fabric. How can we learn from their example and nationalize their effect?

We traveled around the country and found them everywhere. We’d plop into big cities like Houston and small towns like Wilkesboro, N.C., and we’d find 25 to 100 community “Weavers” almost immediately. This is a movement that doesn’t know it’s a movement.

Some of them work at organizations: a vet who helps other mentally ill vets in New Orleans; a guy who runs a boxing gym in Appalachian Ohio where he nominally teaches young men boxing, but really teaches them life; a woman who was in the process of leaving the Englewood neighborhood in Chicago when she saw two little girls playing with broken bottles in the empty lot across the street. She turned to her husband and said: We’re not moving away from that. We’re not going to be just another family that abandoned this place.

Many others do their weaving in the course of everyday life — because that’s what neighbors do. One lady in Florida said she doesn’t have time to volunteer, but that’s because she spends 40 hours a week looking out for local kids and visiting sick folks in the hospital. We go into neighborhoods and ask, “Who is trusted here?” In one neighborhood it was the guy who collects the fees at the parking garage.

We’re living with the excesses of 60 years of hyperindividualism. There’s a lot of emphasis in our culture on personal freedom, self-interest, self-expression, the idea that life is an individual journey toward personal fulfillment. You do you. But Weavers share an ethos that puts relationship over self. We are born into relationships, and the measure of our life is in the quality of our relationships. We precedes me.

Whether they live in red or blue America, they often use the same terms and embody the same values — deep hospitality, showing up for people and keep showing up. They are somewheres, not anywheres — firmly planted in their local community. I met one guy in Ohio who began his work by standing in the town square with a sign: “Defend Youngstown.”

The phrase we heard most was “the whole person.” Whether you are a teacher, a nurse or a neighbor, you have to see and touch the whole person — the trauma, the insecurities and the dreams as much as the body and the brain.

But the trait that leaps out above all others is “radical mutuality”: We are all completely equal, regardless of where society ranks us. “I am broken; I need others to survive,” an afterschool program leader in Houston told us. “We don’t do things for people. We don’t do things to people. We do things with people,” said a woman who builds community for teenagers in New Orleans.

Being around these people has been one of the most uplifting experiences of my life. Obviously, it’s made me want to be more neighborly, to be more active and intentional in how I extend care.

But it has also changed my moral lens. I’ve become so impatient with the politicians I cover! They are so self-absorbed! Social scientists tell us that selfishness is natural, people are motivated by money, power and status. But Weavers are not motivated by any of these things. They want to live in right relation with others and to serve the community good.

Their example has shown me that we don’t just have a sociological problem; we have a moral problem. We all create a shared moral ecology through the daily decisions of our lives. When we stereotype, abuse, impugn motives and lie about each other, we’ve ripped the social fabric and encouraged more ugliness. When we love across boundaries, listen patiently, see deeply and make someone feel known, we’ve woven it and reinforced generosity. As Charles Péguy said, “The revolution is moral or not at all.”

So the big question is: How do we take the success the Weavers are having on the local level and make it national? The Weavers are building relationships one by one, which takes time. Relationships do not scale.

But norms scale. If you can change the culture, you can change behavior on a large scale. If you can change the lens through which people see the world, as these Weavers have changed mine, then you can change the way people want to be in the world and act in the world. So that’s our job. To shift the culture so that it emphasizes individualism less and relationalism more.

Culture changes when a small group of people, often on the margins of society, find a better way to live, and other people begin to copy them. These Weavers have found a better way to live. We at Weave — and all of us — need to illuminate their example, synthesize their values so we understand what it means to be a relationalist and not an individualist. We need to create hubs where these decentralized networks can come together for solidarity and support. We need to create a shared Weaver identity. In 1960, few people called themselves feminists. By 1980, millions did. Just creating that social identity and that sense of mutual purpose is an act of great power.

I guess my ask is that you declare your own personal declaration of interdependence and decide to become a Weaver instead of a ripper. This is partly about communication. Every time you assault and stereotype a person, you’ve ripped the social fabric. Every time you see that person deeply and make him or her feel known, you’ve woven it.

We also need to have faith in each other. Right now, millions of people all over are responding to the crisis we all feel. We in the news media focus on Donald Trump and don’t cover them, but they are the most important social force in America right now. Renewal is building, relationship by relationship, community by community. It will spread and spread as the sparks fly upward.

~ David Brooks, “A Nation of Weavers”, February 18, 2019

Matthew 9:16

 Note to self: Remember. Continue to engage in the work of creating a way of life and physical surroundings where more of your time can be and is devoted to good that is invisible and eternal—and less of your time is obligated to the maintenance of physical things that perish, spoil, and fade.

Matthew 9:16

2020: Watching “the elect”, those who have made sacred covenants, be deceived.

It’s been foretold.  But hope is not gone.  Keep going.  Do not let your heart fail. Love God. Read His word with humility and never use it for self-justification.  Keep anger and pride out of your heart.  Love of God and others is what opens us to personal revelation and casts out fear.

This from Jeffrey R. Holland in October of 2009

“Prophecies regarding the last days often refer to large-scale calamities such as earthquakes or famines or floods. These in turn may be linked to widespread economic or political upheavals of one kind or another.

“But there is one kind of latter-day destruction that has always sounded to me more personal than public, more individual than collective—a warning, perhaps more applicable inside the Church than outside it. The Savior warned that in the last days even those of the covenant, the very elect, could be deceived by the enemy of truth.

“If we think of this as a form of spiritual destruction, it may cast light on another latter-day prophecy. Think of the heart as the figurative center of our faith, the poetic location of our loyalties and our values; then consider Jesus’s declaration that in the last days “men’s hearts [shall fail] them.”

“The encouraging thing, of course, is that our Father in Heaven knows all of these latter-day dangers, these troubles of the heart and soul, and has given counsel and protections regarding them...

“The power of Christ to counter all troubles in all times—including the end of times. That is the safe harbor God wants for us in personal or public days of despair. That is the message with which the Book of Mormon begins, and that is the message with which it ends, calling all to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.” That phrase—taken from Moroni’s final lines of testimony, written 1,000 years after Lehi’s vision—is a...testimony of the only true way.”

From “Safety for the Soul”, October 2009

To be perfected in Him is to learn, from Him, how to love and bless as fearlessly and wisely and well as He does.

"Build Zion", "Do Your Best"

 Two nebulous phrases in our theological discourses:

1. Build Zion

2. Do your best

If it helps:

Gordon B. Hinckley's definition of the phrase "build Zion":

"We can improve, and when all is said and done that's what this is all about: improvement, changing our lives so that we can help people change their lives and be better. And let's build Zion on the earth. That's what it is all about."

(Tacoma Washington Regional Conference, 19 Aug 1995)

David Bednar's definition of the phrase "do your best":

"You honor your covenants and are pressing forward."

(Evening with a General Authority, 25 Feb 2020)

Perspective and Family History

Researching genealogy does tend to keep my own current challenges in perspective. 

I already knew that one of my ancestors, Mary, who was living on the Iowa frontier, was the only surviving child of her parents by the time she was was 15 years old.  Her mother died of cholera when Mary was barely 13. 

Some new details discovered: Her father subsequently married a widow who was trying to raise and support her 3 orphaned stepchildren, ages 10-14 and two of her own children ages 7 and 4.

Within a year, Mary’s new stepmother died. Months afterwards, Mary’s father died.  

In other words, what I learned was that, in that family of six children ages 5-15, one of those orphaned children had lost both parents and a new stepmother, two had lost both parents and a new stepfather, and three had, lost their mother, their father, their stepmother and their stepfather to death.

How hard for those children those losses were. How hard it must have been for their parents and step-parents to know they were dying and leaving thieir children behind.

These six surviving children had no extended family members in the community. As was common in that era and that part of the world, they were split up and taken in by several different families in the area. Some of those families moved away. As I looked into the lives of those children I learned that some of those children lost contact with each other within a year, and were not able to find their siblings for another 50 years.

Perspective.

Sacrilege. Today.

Have you seen the photo of the President of the United States holding up a Bible and glaring at the camera at St. John’s Episcopal Church today? 

The Rev. James Martin, a prominent Jesuit priest and author, said in a statement, "Using the Bible as a prop while talking about sending in the military, bragging about how your country is the greatest in the world, and publicly mocking people on a daily basis, is pretty much the opposite of all Jesus stood for."

He added: "Let me be clear. This is revolting. The Bible is not a prop. A church is not a photo op. Religion is not a political tool. And God is not a plaything."

Amen.

sac•ri•lege săk′rə-lĭj

►

• n.
  Desecration, profanation, misuse, or theft of something regarded as sacred.
• n.
  The violation, desecration, or profanation of sacred things.
• n.
  In a more specific sense: The alienation to laymen or to common purposes of that which has been appropriated or consecrated to religious persons or uses.