Discipline, Freedom, and Really Good Jazz.

I have been thinking about freedom.   With all the talk in the last few chapters of Helaman  concerning how following commandments was giving away freedom,  I wanted to share this simple and weak (but the best I've got) analogy.

I like jazz, especially the parts that are  improvised.    To me, it is a great example of how discipline brings freedom.  Some people think improvisation is just music that is made up while it is being played, and they are right.    But in order to "make up" that music on the spot in front of an audience, not to mention the ruthless critics sitting behind you in the trumpet section, you have to know stuff and you have to be stuff.

Here is a piece of classical music:

Here is a chord progression for an improvised  blues solo.  

Now you tell me what sounds easier:  Playing what is placed before you, all thought out ahead of time by somebody else, or understanding, practicing, and memorizing a bunch of scales, arpeggios and riffs in all twelve keys so you can come up with something worthwhile on your own in real time.  

Playing improvisational jazz is an amazing kind of freedom,  but the cost of understanding it  enough to do it well takes huge piles of discipline beforehand.   The more scales you understand and the more riffs in the music files in your head and the more desire in your heart to create something beautiful,  the greater your level of freedom to improvise.

What does this have to do with the gospel?  Jesus talked about how being his disciple and continuing  in his word (I'm guessing that means practicing all the things he taught) would make the people free.  It is all right there in  John 8:31-34.

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.  (bold type added because disciple is related to discipline and I really want you to get that part if you hadn't already.  I know nothing of subtlety! Or grammar).   

32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

33 ¶They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

Everyday we mortals mess up, give away our freedom, and become, to one degree or another, "the servant of sin."   Everyday we have the atonement of Jesus Christ, who bought our freedom with his love and sacrifice.  All we have to do is practice  the commandments he gave to keep us free in the first place.  

"The Ten Commandments are not rules to obey as a personal favor to God."

"The Ten Commandments are not rules to obey as a personal favor to God." 

That is a quote from an address given by Cecil B. DeMille, director of the epic biblical film The Ten Commandments, to the student body at Brigham Young University.  He then went on to say,

“God does not contradict Himself. He did not create man and then, as an afterthought, impose upon him a set of arbitrary, irritating, restrictive rules.

He made man free—and then gave him the Commandments to keep him free” (“Commencement Address,” in Commencement Exercises, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [31 May 1957], 4–5).

That line of thinking is a tough sell.  But it is still true.  

I listened to another address given to BYU students by Elder Paul Johnson that echoed DeMille's words while I walked on the treadmill yesterday.*  

The title of his address was, "Free to Choose Liberty or Captivity".   THIS IS A GREAT TALK!   You should stop reading this blog and listen to it right now.  Just do it.  

Before this blog post continues, consider the following:

1.  There is a God.

2.  He wants us to be free.

3.  There is a Satan.

4.  He does not want us to be free.  

There is a quote in this talk that has stuck with me since I heard it.

"When we obey Satan, we give him power. When we obey God, He gives us power."

Satan can't take our freedom, but we can give it to him.  Pick a sin, any sin, do a little thought experiment and follow it's effects to the end and you will see this is true. 

Take a look at the  10 commandments.  Stealing?  Lying? Coveting? Adultery?  Murder?  Eventually, they will mess you up and take away your freedom in one way or another.     But if you truly keep the first five commandments, even the first one, you will never want to do the last five to begin with. Problem solved.  

The first commandment always sounds more understandable to me when it comes from Jesus in the New Testament:

"Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew  22:36-40 

When you love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, you loves others also.   (1 John 4:21)  If you love others, you aren't going to be lying, stealing, and all the rest.  

  

1. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).

2. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image” (Exodus 20:4). 

3. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” (Exodus 20:7).

4. “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8).

5. “Honour thy father and thy mother” (Exodus 20:12).

6. “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13).

7. “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). I

8. “Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20:15). 

9. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16). 

10. “Thou shalt not covet” (Exodus 20:17). 

You want to be free?  Obedience doesn't sound like free to you?  Remember the quotes at the beginning of this post.  Those commandment aren't to keep us from being free, they were given by a loving God to keep us from being enslaved, entangled, or generally messed up and unfree.  

“ This is not the message we get from the world, but it is the truth. Real power, the power to become like the Savior, is only found in obedience. Real freedom is found in obedience—in subjecting ourselves to God’s will rather than to the will of the flesh or the will of the devil. Freedom through obedience: this sounds like a paradox, but those who have lived this way can testify it is true. Obedience brings power, freedom, joy, peace, and hope."  --Elder Paul V. Johnson

Hard Deadlines and Good Cheer.

3 Nephi 1

Deadlines can be scary, especially when missing it results in something horrible.   I have never had a hard deadline that was quite as bad as the following,  but the Nephites in this chapter did.

"Now it came to pass that there was a day set apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death except the sign should come to pass, which had been given by Samuel the prophet.

10 Now it came to pass that when Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful.

11 And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers. 

I love that it doesn't say, "Nephi prayed for himself."  He was facing death just like all the other believers, but cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people.

 12 And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:

How long did Nephi pray before the voice of the Lord came unto him?  All day long?  He certainly received a wonderful answer to his prayer. 

 13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.

 14 Behold, I come unto my own, to fulfil all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the will, both of the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night shall the sign be given.

 15 And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; for behold, at the going down of the sun there was nodarkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came."

Luckily, those who were planning to destroy the believers fell to the earth and had second thoughts about it when the night was as bright as midday.   How awkward it must have been for them when they met a believer in the market the next day.  

Did the believers hold a grudge against those who would have destroyed them?  Apparently not, for there was no contention for a few years and "the more part of the people did believe, and were converted to the Lord."  (vs. 22)

But the Gandianton Robbers who dwelt in the mountains were still murdering and slaughtering the people (vs. 27) and worse yet, soon they were causing sorrow to the Nephites by absorbing their dissenters and also to the Lamanites by leading away their children.  

Seventy five years before, the sons of Helamen conquered the enemy with their faith and righteousness.  What, other than the span of years,  was the difference between these generations?

Sometimes the Crowd Is Just Plain Wrong.

Helaman 16

Finally, the chapter where it describes the Nephites throwing rocks and shooting arrows at Samuel, but to no avail, as  shown in this picture that I have loved since childhood. 

The first hundred times I typed in Samuel the Lamanite, the auto correct on this computer changed it to Samuel the Laminate.  It was pretty annoying.  But sometimes it made me smile because, just like a good laminate flooring, this Lamanite was durable.  Not an arrow or a rock hit him (vs. 2) because the Spirit of the Lord was with him.  

And not everyone was trying to kill him.  It says as many as believed went to the prophet Nephi, confessing their sins and were baptized.  (vs. 1).  And Nephi was a busy prophet because it says:

"...Nephi was baptizing, and prophesying, and preaching, crying repentance unto the people, showing signs and wonders, working miracles among the people, that they might know that the Christ must shortly come— Telling them of things which must shortly come, that they might know and remember at the time of their coming that they had been made known unto them beforehand, to the intent that they might believe; therefore as many as believed on the words of Samuel went forth unto him to be baptized, for they came repenting and confessing their sins." (vs. 4-5)

So the question I ask myself is, "If I were standing on a wall preaching to the Nephites, would their arrows and stones have found me?"   No, wait.  The question I ask myself and the question that I could actually have any impact on and the question that actually matters is, "Would I have bothered to climb the wall in the first place?"   God has let plenty of people seal their testimony with their lives for his own righteous purposes and I don't know if Samuel understood whether or not he was ever coming down off that wall.  But he got up on it, he stretched forth his hand, and he cried with a loud voice, and he preached the word of God.  (Helaman 13:4) While we can't choose what happens to us when we follow the voice of the Lord, we do have to choose whether we follow it or not.  There is no fence sitting.  Either you do or you don't.  

When the unrepentant Nephites realized they couldn't shoot him down, "they cried unto their captains, saying: Take this fellow and bind him, for behold he hath a devil; and because of the power of the devil which is in him we cannot hit him with our stones and our arrows; therefore take him and bind him, and away with him.

 7 And as they went forth to lay their hands on him, behold, he did cast himself down from the wall, and did flee out of their lands, yea, even unto his own country, and began to preach and to prophesy among his own people. 8 And behold, he was never heard of more among the Nephites." (vs. 6-8)

I am glad he was able to return to his own people and teach them, because, according to vs. 15, they needed his bold teaching also.  

It seems very familiar when these wicked, confused people said this righteous prophet had a devil.  If someone doesn't agree with those who are wicked, then the wicked are the ones who call the righteous evil,  and the wicked call themselves the righteous.   

Even when the wicked see "there were great signs given unto the people, and wonders; and the words of the prophets began to be fulfilled" (vs. 13) they used their own reasoning and explained it away and taught that  "it is not reasonable that such a being as a Christ shall come."   (vs. 18) and that  the Prophet's reason for teaching about Christ was that they might "... by the cunning and the mysterious arts of the evil one, work some great mystery which we cannot understand, which will keep us down to be servants to their words, and also servants unto them, for we depend upon them to teach us the word; and thus will they keep us in ignorance if we will yield ourselves unto them, all the days of our lives" (vs. 21). 

So much of the latter part of Helaman deals with choice and freedom and peace and iniquity and destruction.  No one works harder to find truth and no one is more free than someone who seeks after Christ.  The fact that they have done the work to have the faith makes them strong.

Sadly, the chapter says that all this preaching and baptizing made "but little alteration in the affairs of the people  (vs. 12).

How could this be with Samuel and Nephi teaching the people?

Samuel was up on their wall,  Nephi was living next door, but Satan was in their hearts (vs. 22) which has always been far more valuable real estate when it comes to influencing pretty much anyone.   

Samuel to the Nephites: No, really. You need to repent.

Heleman 15

Again, with the repentance.  Or your houses will be desolate.  And your women shall mourn. And you'll flee but there will be no where to go.  (vs. 1-2)  That is what Samuel the Lamanite has to say to the Nephites in Zarahemla.

He points out the Lamanites, when they hear the word of God, repent and are "firm and steadfast in the faith"  (vs. 8) and "they have been made free."   

He references the People of Ammon, (vs. 9) and reminds the Nephites that they were so serious about no longer being a war-like people that they covenanted with God not to fight and buried all their weapons.

I have heard many talks about asking ourselves what "weapons" or sins we need to bury in our lives to be more righteous, the latest one being yesterday in our stake conference.

Samuel talks of how the Lamanites will be blessed at a later time because their hearts are not as hard as the Nephites, and they sin because of the traditions of their fathers, not as the Nephites who sin because they know what is right and choose to sin anyway.

And in the last poignant verse, Samuel bears witness that the Lord will utterly destroy the Nephites if they will not repent, not withstanding the many mighty works which they have seen the Lord do among them.

This verse makes me wonder if Samuel had  seen the vision that so many prophets had seen that showed that very thing happening.  Did his heart break for the Nephites like Eno's heart broke for the Lamanites?  Was it much worse because he knew the Lamanites would ultimately be saved but the Nephites would not?

Not only did the Nephites have their own history filled with the "might works" of God, but they had the records brought from Jerusalem as a witness for and against them.  It reminds me of covenant people who live in this day and the many modern witnesses of God's mighty works in our own lives and in the records of the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

Moroni 10:27  reminds me I am also responsible for the light and knowledge I've been given and I will have to account for how I have used it.  Or if I lose it.

And that is why it is again with the repentance.

I can personally make it through my own little pride cycle three times before lunch.

And that is why I love repentance and the Savior who gave it to me.

Just like President Urchdorf said in a recent talk about the Savior, He will place you on his shoulders and carry you home.  

But first, you have to want to go home.

Many More Things Which Cannot Be Written...but don't worry, because the important stuff is all there.

  Helaman 14

In the very first verse we learn that  Samuel prophesies to the people many things which can't be written (I really really really wish I knew what these things were), but more importantly, he prophesies in a very specific way when he tells them the Lord will come in 5 years to redeem the people who believe in him and tells them the signs that will appear so that they will know when these great events are happening half a world away.  I love how God doesn't just leave them in the dark...okay, they will be in the dark, but just because it is one of the signs.

And then Samuel teaches again about faith and repentance and remission of sins and resurrection, but my favorite part of the chapter is at the end where he reminds them of their free agency to choose to believe this or not to believe.  He also reminds them of the consequences.

And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.

He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.  (vs. 30,31)

"...for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free."

And that is a great and a fearsome thing. 

What We Always Remember

Helaman 13

We often think of the great courage and sacrifice made by the Son's of Mosiah when they chose to leave their lives among their own people and go and serve their mortal enemies, the Lamanites, by bringing them the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Fast forward almost a hundred years and it is the Lamanites being more righteous than the Nephites, and a righteous Lamanite named Samuel who is trying to bring the Nephites back to God.  An angel of the Lord had brought glad tidings to his soul by sharing the life and ministry of Jesus Christ with him, and when he was told to go and share what he knew with the Nephites,  he did.

But they threw him out.

Samuel goes to the land of Zarahemla and preaches unto the people many days (vs. 2) and it  gets him thrown out.  It seems the Nephites took offense at the idea that they needed to repent.

When the voice of the Lord tells Samuel to go back and prophesy whatsoever things should come unto his heart (from the Lord) he just goes right back.

Zarahemla had some serious walls (thank you Captain Moroni?) and it's inhabitants had no intention of letting Samuel back in, but that didn't stop him!  He just climbs up the wall and starts preaching about Christ and repentance and asks them to please change so they won't be destroyed.

I have a feeling he does this hard thing not just because he was assigned to do it, but because  he loves the people of Zarahemla.  That is serious charity.

Not only does this man climb on the wall to stand in front of people who would rather kill him than listen to him, but he makes himself the largest target possible when he stretches out his arms and yells out what is in his heart in case anyone below might miss him.

He preaches faith in the Lord and repentance and warns them of impending destruction (vs. 6).

He explains that the righteous in the city are the only reason they aren't already destroyed (vs. 12).

He warns they will lose their treasures that they hide (vs. 19).

He says they are cursed because they set their hearts upon their riches (vs. 21).

He points out they Don't remember their God, but they Do remember their riches.

 "Ye do not remember the Lord your God in the things with which he hath blessed you, but ye do always remember your riches, not to thank the Lord your God for them, Yea, your hearts are not drawn out unto the Lord, but they do swell with great pride, unto boasting, and unto  great swelling, envying, strifes, malice, persecutions, and murders, and all manner of iniquities."  (vs. 22).

After he lays out the list of their wickedness, he points out that if a prophet comes and declares the word of God among them, they will be angry with him, try to destroy him, cast him out, say he is a false prophet, a sinner and is of the devil, but if a man comes among them and tells them, do this, and there is no iniquity, do that, and ye shall not suffer (vs. 27),  they will call him a prophet, give him lots of gold, silver, costly apparel, and invite him to all their parties.

And then he delivers verse 29 where his heart seems to be breaking as he pleads with and questions them.  "O ye wicked and ye perverse generation; ye hardened and ye stiff-necked people, how long will ye suppose the the Lord will suffer you?  Yea how long will ye suffer yourselves to be led by foolish and blind guides?   Yea, how long will ye choose darkness rather than light?" (vs. 29).

Then comes another sobering part where he says they have wasted their lives.  "...for ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great Eternal Head." (vs. 38)

This meaningful chapter urges me to ask questions of myself.  Questions like these…

1.  What are the ways in my life I need to be more courageous in fulfilling my assignments--not necessarily formal callings, but the most important ones like family, being my best self, things in my patriarchal blessing, and others I have received through personal revelation?

2.  What is my heart set upon?

3.  What do I need to repent of?

4.   Am I led by foolish and blind guides?

5.  In the world of Good, Better, and Best, am I seeking all the days of my life for that which  will bring the most happiness?

6.  If the wicked Nephites always remembered their riches and not their God, what am I always remembering that might be getting in the way of always remembering God?

I love the Book of Mormon.  I love the spirit that fills the message contained in it.  And I love this Samuel the Lamanite.

Less than the Dust of the Earth and Blessed with Everlasting Life.

Helaman 12

People think being called less than the dust of the earth is a put-down.  And it is.  But it is also instructive.  Check out these verses in Helaman 12  where it is lamented:

Vs. 7:  How great the nothingness of the children of men, less than the dust of the earth.

Why?  How could we be less than dust?  

Vs 8:  Because the dust of the Earth moves hither and thither, to the dividing asunder, at the command of our great and everlasting God.  

So dust is obedient and us, not so much.  

Vs.  18-22:  And apparently, even though we have the freedom to choose to listen or not at this time, when the end comes we will be less than the dust, for God will cut the unrepentant off from his presence.  

This sounds pretty harsh.  Less than the dust of the earth and cut off from his presence.  

But how is it harsh when we were the ones who cut ourselves off from his presence by choice? (Vs. 2-6)  

 Free agency cuts both ways.  

Luckily, Vs. 23 talks about repenting and being saved.  It seems like if we are pathetic at actually being the kind of person we want to be, but we repent and truly strive to be the  people we were meant to be, we're both blest and saved.  

So it is our choice.

Choice, choice, choice.  

Vs. 26:  They that have done good shall have everlasting life; and they that have done evil shall have everlasting damnation.  And thus it is, Amen.  

Pretty straight forward.  Good or Evil.  You get to choose.  

What if I were a refugee?

About a year ago I had a dream that has not faded.  I was in the woods camping with my family.   Nature was beautiful and my family was together  and happy.  But my happy dream turned from sunny to dark.  One by one my older children disappeared and then I couldn't find my husband.   My surroundings changed from nature to a scene of chaos and destruction, and I was very afraid for my younger children and for myself as I realized I was open to any danger an ill-willed stranger wished to bring upon what was left of my family or myself.

 I woke up thinking of refugees.  The fear and helplessness that filled my dream was the waking nightmare for millions of women just like me.  How could I help?  They were so far away!

At the Women's Session of the general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints, the women of our church introduced a new program called, "I was a stranger."  Here is the webpage that explains it and gives suggestions of how to help.

 https://www.lds.org/refugees?cid=HP_SA_26-3-2016_dPFD_fCNWS_xLIDyL2-1_&lang=eng

And here is a video that explains why we are interested in helping:

The next week, at our general conference, Elder Patrick Kearon gave this address explaining the problem, why we should help, and what we are doing.

I hope that I will figure out the right way to help.  I hope that, one day, no one will be a refuge.