Am I My Brother's Keeper?
Dear Family and Friends,
Welcome to this week's "Thoughtlet."
These words are my personal diary and a weekly review of ideas,
beliefs, thoughts, or words that will hopefully be of some
benefit to you: my children, my family, and my friends.
"Much of my spare time this week was spent working on the White
Paper I promised to submit to IW-GEO (the Interagency Working
Group for Earth Observation). This was in response to the
144 page report they sent me and that I read last weekend.
I find this project very exciting. I will post the document
I came up with at
http://www.walden3d.com/IG-GEO/050311_strategy_white_paper.pdf
for anyone interested in reviewing this work.
I suggested a plan to Dave Johnson and Mike Dunn about how to
grow the company. Dave liked it, and hand me call and review
it with Ken Butler, who is now the Chief Geophysicist for
Burlington Resources. Ken was pretty positive, and so Dave
took Ken and I to lunch at his favorite restaurant in Houston
on Tuesday. The restaurant is called Brennans. It is downtown,
and the meal was very good. Sara Ellyn needs to apply there to
learn how they do their cooking.
Matt was on Spring Break all week. He did a lot of work around
the yard, and he went down to the Medical Center and set up
the basic plan for his Eagle Project. He is going to collect
books, puzzles, and stuffed animals for kids in the cancer
center at M.D. Anderson. This was on Wednesday, and Matt
and Andrea stopped by the office and took me to lunch on
their way home. They also walked the stairs with me. We had
fun. We went to Post Oak Grill for lunch. Another great
place for Sara Ellyn to apply as a cook. In fact, there
are a lot of great restaurants around Houston where she can
learn to cook and find out if she really likes this profession.
Tuesday afternoon we had a Tiles Meeting. Thursday afternoon
there was a meeting about rebuilding the GDCMOD software. I
spent most of the week repicking and entering into the database
new initial onsets of geopressures depths for the Mississippi
East and West Tiles. The computer went down one afternoon,
and I got in early and stayed late several nights, and these
were the times I worked on the IW-GEO White Paper.
Last Sunday just before Sacrament Meeting, Brother Becksrom
asked me to give a talk based on Malachi 3:8-10 and John 9:1-3
because of my calling as the Ward Employment Specialist. I
had planned to work with Tony Traweek on Wednesday night, but
he called and said his wife had just had a positive biopsy for
breast cancer and someone had rear ended his vehicle as he was
getting on the Katy Freeway. It was not a good day for him.
We rescheduled for Friday night, and then he was still without
his vehicle, and so we rescheduled for Monday, although I won't
be there because I'm going to talk to a doctor about a
colonoscopy. Thursday night I was going to meet with Christian
Singfield and Luis Viertel about the digital scanning response
to Pemex. However, Mike Dunn took Luis out for a beer, and
so we postponed until Saturday morning. So I used Thursday
after work to work on my talk for sacrament meeting. This was
the first talk I have written using Gospel Link. As I looked
up the scriptures and the cross-references, I and the word
welfare, I came across a related theme, and titled my talk
`Am I My Brother's Keeper?' I spent a couple of hours on it
Thursday night, a little time Friday morning, and then practiced
giving it to myself Friday evening while I was waiting for
Tony, who, as I mentioned above did not make it.
Saturday morning I spent time working on `An Open Mind.' I
am getting real close to posting the first chapter on the web.
However, the space issues, mean that I will probably wait until
Marc Roulston can get the two new disk drives hooked up. This
should happen within the next month or so. Christian and
Luis showed up a little after 9:00. Andrea had made some
blueberry muffins. I had gone to the grocery store and bought
some fruit drinks. Also, my Saturn needed 3 quarts of oil.
There is no oil spot where I park, and I think the Saturn
dealership forgot to replace all of the oil when they serviced
the car a few weeks ago (0506.html). Oh well! Ben Davis and
his bride and daughter came by after lunch on a scavenger hunt.
Sister Davis is getting baptized in a couple of weeks, and
they asked us for a piece of fruit, then we were to give them
a lesson on the word of wisdom. Then all of the people
involved got together at the park in back of the Kessler's
place at 5:00 for a picnic. I think this is a great idea
for integrating new converts into the ward. In the evening
Andrea and I went to Tony and Jana Mcclains' house for a
party for seminary teacher's spouses. The Pickerds, the
Jernaks, the Mcclains, and Andrea and I were there. It was
a very good meal, and I ate too many swallows. We played
Cranium afterwards. It was fun. I do pretty good with the
sculpturing. When we got home I took Matt to the church to
lock up for the last time he has to do this for his
community service hours.
This morning was different. I hadn't told Andrea about my talk
because I am still reacting to words spoken in anger last week,
and have no interest in yet another lecture. I slept in until
8:00. Then shaved and showered and got ready. Then read the
paper. Then read the Priesthood lesson from The Teachings of
David O. McKay. Then I thought Andrea was going to go get
ready, and I would have time to go over my talk again. However,
she had forgot to put the grades on the letters to all of her
seminary students, and needed me to take them out of the
envelopes, record the grade, and put them in a new envelope
while she went and got ready. Oh well! I got done just in
time to leave. Matt was ready, and looked very nice. He
helped bless the sacrament today.
Before the meeting, the visiting Stake High Counselor,
Merv Swan, and I talked for a while. Merv moved to Houston
from Calgary to work for Landmark Graphics several years ago.
He has always lived in Katy 2nd. He was Marti and Rob's Home
Teacher for a while. So, like with many in the stake, there
is a bit of a history. He has moved from Landmark into
Haliburton, but he did catch me up with the renaming rumors
I had heard about a week ago (0510.html).
The opening song was `Improve the Shining Moments.' Gary Jones
gave the invocation. The sacrament song was `In Humility, Our
Savior.' Alisa Short and Anthony Dowd talked about their
experiences at the Summer Olympics. Then a new Sister Missionary
from Fairview, Utah introduced herself. Then I talked for 15
minutes. I had prepared a 30 minute talk, and cut it off at
11:45 as agreed before the meeting with Brother Swan. Then there
was an intermediate hymn, `Today, While the Sun Shines.' Brother
Swan gave a very good talk about the Welfare System of the
church. The church has 105 canneries, 128 Bishop's Storehouses,
259 Employment Centers, and our Stake provides 2,500 hours of
volunteer member work each year at the Peanut Butter Cannery.
The closing song was `You Can Make the Pathway Bright,' and
Gary Jones' son-in-law gave the closing prayer. My talk was
titled, `Am I My Brother's Keeper?' and is quoted below for
anyone interested:
<![CDATA['Sacrament Meeting Talk, Notthingham Country Ward,
Sunday 13 March 2005'
`The phrase brother's keeper? occurs twice in the scriptures, once
in Genesis 4:9 and repeated in Moses 5:34. It is interesting that
the word keeper? also appears in Genesis 4:2 and Moses 5:17. In
Genesis these two verses read:
Genesis 4:2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a
keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Genesis 4:9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother?
And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
Was Cain feeding back to Heavenly Father the truth that we are
individually responsible for our own salvation, and he was not
responsible for his brother Abel's salvation?
Flavius Josephus, a Jewish writer who lived at the same time
as Jesus, wrote:
God, knowing what had been done, came to Cain, and asked him
what was become of his brother, because he had not seen him of
many days; whereas he used to observe them conversing together
at other times. But Cain was in doubt with himself, and knew
not what answer to give to God. At first he said that he was
himself at a loss about his brother's disappearing; but when
he was provoked by God, who pressed him vehemently, as resolving
to know what the matter was, he replied, he was not his brother's
guardian or keeper, nor was he an observer of what he did. But,
in return, God convicted Cain, as having been the murderer of his
brother; and said, "I wonder at thee, that thou knowest not what
is become of a man whom thou thyself hast destroyed."
(Josephus, Flavius, Antiquities of the Jews)
In general, it seems to me to be a fact that we are not our
brother's guardian, nor should we be an observer of what our
brother does, especially not in a controlling nor in an
unrighteous dominion way. It also seems to me to be true that
we do not want to follow teachings coming from the first murderer.
After all, Moses never used words stating we are our brother's
keeper. Neither did the Savior. So, am I my brother's keeper?
I could continue along this line by going into detail to define
the words `I,' 'brother,' and `keeper.' For instance, on
February 13th of 1998 I wrote a song where the 1st verse reads:
V1. I'm mostly a bag of salty water
With bones to help me stand upright
Covered with muscle and somewhat fatter
Than wanted, with skin to keep me airtight
However, I am going to take a different tract. I would like
to start with words written by Royal Skousen wrote in 1986:
Now let us consider a couple of passages that readers have
traditionally misinterpreted. The first one comes from Cain's
answer to the Lord's question of where his brother Abel was:
"I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?" (Gen. 4:9, KJV). It is
easy to assume that Cain should have been his brother's keeper
instead of murdering him. But this interpretation misses the
snottiness in Cain's reply: Couldn't Abel take care of himself?
Did he have to have someone look after him? The Hebrew word for
keeper, shomer, refers to a watchman, a guard, or anyone who
has charge, care, or oversight of something. Typically, we have
keepers of sheep, baggage, wardrobes, altars, doors, houses,
gates, city walls, forests, fields, and the king's women.
Although shomer does not apply to children, the modern reader
might get a better feel for Cain's answer if we paraphrased it
as: "How should I know? Am I my brother's baby-sitter?"
(Through a Glass Darkly: Trying To Understand the Scriptures by
Royal Skousen Fn, BYU Studies, vol. 26 (1986), Number 3 -
Summer 1986 9.)
Speaking of baby sitters, I would like to share a quote by one
of my favorite modern day apostles, Hugh B. Brown, with the
Young Women in our ward, about being our brother's keeper.
This was written in 1956, when I was six years old, my sister's
older brother:
Will you young women help to stem this avalanche which threatens
to engulf the future homes of our country and wreck and destroy
the pillars of our society? The old cry of Cain, the murderer,
"I am not my brother's keeper," cannot apply to you who are the
brother of some other girl's brother. That other girl may be
with your brother now. What would you have her do for him?
Then apply the golden rule.
(Hugh B. Brown, The Eternal Quest [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft,
1956], 345 - 346.)
So young women, you are your brother's keeper, at least in
regards to the golden rule that I should do unto others as I
would like them to do unto me.
Ellis T. Rasmussen wrote in 1993 in an Old Testament Commentary:
The first murder was followed by the first cover-up lie. When
confronted by the Lord, Cain denied knowing where his was and
sarcastically asked whether he was responsible for his brother's
welfare. Keeper is used to translate a word whose root meaning
is "to watch and guard." The Lord declared that evidence of the
evil deed arose from the very ground that had received Abel's
blood; but He gave Cain one more opportunity to confess what he
had done.
(Ellis T. Rasmussen, A Latter-day Saint Commentary on the Old
Testament [Salt Lake City: Deseret, 1993], 22.)
I have zero tolerance for those who lie to me. I tell the truth,
and I expect others to tell the truth to me. And it is a sad
fact that I have come down too hard when my children and others
I love have lied to me. This has inadvertently created environment
where some feel they must hide the things they are doing from me,
in order to avoid the ?wrath of Dad.? In my mind, I was simply
treating them as the brother I never had, and whom I expect to
always tell me the truth. But as I look back, I see I was
sometimes being my brother's keeper in the unrighteous dominion
sense. So, am I my brother's keeper?
In 1981 Gordon B. Hinkley wrote:
What was once controlled by the moral and ethical standards of
the people, we now seek to handle by public law. And so the
statutes multiply; enforcement agencies consume ever-increasing
billions, prison facilities are constantly expanded, but the
torrent of dishonesty pours on and grows in volume.
Of course, falsehood is not new. It is as old as man. "The Lord
said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know
not: Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9.)
Asked the prophet Malachi of ancient Israel: "Will a man rob God?
Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee?
In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have
robbed me, even this whole nation." (Malachi 3:8-9.)
Even following the miracle of Pentecost, deception was manifest
among some who had come into the church. Those who were converted
sold their lands and brought money and laid it at the apostles'
feet.
"But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a
possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being
privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the
apostles' feet.
"But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to
lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of
the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it
was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived
this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto
God.
"And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the
ghost. . . .
"And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife,
not knowing what was done, came in.
"And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land
for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
"Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together
to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? . . . Then she fell down
straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost." (Acts 5:1-10.)
In our time those found in dishonesty do not die as did Ananias
and Sapphira, but something within them dies. Conscience chokes,
character withers, self-respect vanishes, integrity dies.
(Gordon B. Hinckley, Be Thou an Example [Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book Co., 1981], 43.)
My conclusion is that a key component of Cain's question to the
Lord was the fact he was lying to cover up the murder of his
brother. Moses, the Savior, Joseph Smith did all talk and teach
extensively about lying. It is not good to lie to ourselves.
It is not good to lie to family members. It is not good to lie
to our friends. It is not good to lie to our work colleagues.
It is not good to lie. This is an eternal truth. And to test
it out, any of us can tell a lie and eventually we will recognize
the damage caused by this lie.
So does the fact the scriptures only teach the concept that I am
my brother's keeper through the mouth of a lier mean that I am
not my brother's keeper? Lets turn to the other book of scripture
we have today, commonly known as The Hymn Book:
Hymn 220, `Lord, I Would Follow Thee' reads:
1. Savior, may I learn to love thee,
Walk the path that thou hast set.
Pause to help and lift another,
Finding strength beyond my own.
Savior, may I learn to love thee -
Lord, I would follow thee.
2. Who am I to judge another,
When I walk imperfectly.
In the quiet heart is hidden
Sorrow that the eye can't see.
Who am I to judge another? -
Lord, I would follow thee.
3. I would be my brother's keeper;
I would learn the healer's art.
To the wounded and the weary
I would show a gentle hand.
I would be my brother's keeper -
Lord, I would follow thee.
4. Savior, may I love my brother,
As I know thou lovest me.
Find in thee my strength, my beacon,
For the servant I would be.
Savior, may I love my brother -
Lord I would follow thee.
The words in verse 3 definitely teach us that we are our
brother's keeper. In his book `Approaching Zion'
Hugh Nibley wrote:
Everyone is under a sacred obligation to get involved-and this
is important in the ancient lot. Everything concerns you; you
are your brother's keeper. "If you see a stray ox or sheep and
recognize it, you must absolutely return it to your brother"
(cf. Deuteronomy 22:1). If you don't recognize it, you keep
nothing you find for yourself; you must hold it until an owner
shows up (Deuteronomy 22:2-3). If you see someone's ox or ass
fall down, you cannot pretend not to notice or make yourself
scarce, like the priest or Levite passing by on the other side
(Deuteronomy 22:4; Luke 10:30-32). Remember Moroni: "Why do ye
. . . suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the
sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?"
(Mormon 8:39). If someone falls from the roof of your house
because you have failed to put a railing around it, you may not
plead contributory negligence (Deuteronomy 22:8). "You cannot
take for a pledge a millstone or anything else upon which a
man's livelihood depends" (see Deuteronomy 24:6). You may not
go to the house of a creditor to take something as security,
but stand at a distance and let him bring it out to you-his
house is sacred (Deuteronomy 24:10-11). If the security is
something he needs, you must return it to him by sundown
(Deuteronomy 24:13). You shall not appeal to the iron law of
wages, paying a worker as little as you can because he is
desperate for work, and this applies to strangers, the wetbacks,
as well as to Israelites (Deuteronomy 24:14). You must pay a
worker every day before sundown, "for he is poor, and setteth
his heart upon it"; everyone has a right to his daily bread
(see Deuteronomy 24:15). Well-known is the law of the gleaning:
"When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast
forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it:
it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the
widow" (Deuteronomy 24:19). In beating the olive trees, thou
shalt not glean them afterward (Deuteronomy 24:20). Best known
of all is the law "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth
out the corn" (Deuteronomy 25:4; 1 Corinthians 9:9; 1 Timothy
5:18)-he is working for you; give him a break. Do the decent
thing, but you won't make money that way. The vilest criminal
may be punished with a beating but never to the point where he
is robbed of his human dignity, lest "thy brother . . . seem
vile to thee" (Deuteronomy 25:3).
(Hugh Nibley, Approaching Zion, edited by Don E. Norton [Salt
Lake City and Provo: Deseret Book Co., Foundation for Ancient
Research and Mormon Studies, 1989], 431 - 432.)
The 1944 Ward Teaching Message in the Improvement Era taught:
CAIN, in a jealous rage, slew his brother, Abel. When the Lord
asked "Where is Abel thy brother?" Cain impudently snapped,
"Am I my brother's keeper?"
The Lord might well have thought, "No, Cain, you are not, nor
have you been, your brother's keeper. If you had been, you
would not have sought his destruction. You would not have
offended me by mist reating one of my sons. You would have
realized that I am his Father as well as yours. You would have
treated him with kindness, love, courtesy, ever looking for
opportunities to help him in the way of life. You would never
have raised your voice against him to belittle or discourage him.
No, Cain, while I should like to have seen you be your brother's
keeper, you have failed me."
What actions set one apart as being his brother's keeper?
In a dramatic description of the last judgment Jesus declared:
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world:
For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and
ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was
in prison, and ye came unto me. (Matt. 25:34-37.)
(Ward Teaching, Improvement Era, 1944, Vol. Xlvii. March, 1944.
No. 3. .)
We are our brother's keeper when it comes to `perfecting the
saints,' which is the welfare portion of the mission of the
church. In preparing this talk I found it interesting that the
word `welfare' is referenced 7 times in the Old Testament and
there 18 matches in the Book of Mormon. You might want to
follow along with some of these quotes:
Priestcraft and Welfare:
II Nephi 26:29 He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts;
for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves
up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise
of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion.
Missionary Work and Welfare:
Alma 6:6 Nevertheless the children of God were commanded that
they should gather themselves together oft, and join in fasting
and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those
who knew not God.
Spiritual Welfare:
Enos 1:9-11 Now, it came to pass that when I had heard these words
I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren, the
Nephites; wherefore, I did pour out my whole soul unto God for
them. And while I was thus struggling in the spirit, behold, the
voice of the Lord came into my mind again, saying: I will visit
thy brethren according to their diligence in keeping my
commandments. I have given unto them this land, and it is a holy
land; and I curse it not save it be for the cause of iniquity;
wherefore, I will visit thy brethren according as I have said;
and their transgressions will I bring down with sorrow upon their
own heads. And after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith
began to be unshaken in the Lord; and I prayed unto him with many
long strugglings for my brethren, the Lamanites.
Repentance and Welfare:
Alma 34:17-32 Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that
ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin
to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;
Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save.
Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him.
Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks.
Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both
morning, mid-day, and evening. Yea, cry unto him against the
power of your enemies. Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who
is an enemy to all righteousness. Cry unto him over the crops of
your fields, that ye may prosper in them. Cry over the flocks of
your fields, that they may increase. But this is not all; ye
must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places,
and in your wilderness. Yea, and when you do not cry unto the
Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him
continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those
who are around you. And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say
unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done
all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and
visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance,
if ye have, to those who stand in need-I say unto you, if ye do
not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth
you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith.
Therefore, if ye do not remember to be charitable, ye are as dross,
which the refiners do cast out, (it being of no worth) and is
trodden under foot of men. And now, my brethren, I would that,
after ye have received so many witnesses, seeing that the holy
scriptures testify of these things, ye come forth and bring
fruit unto repentance. Yea, I would that ye would come forth and
harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and
the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and
harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of
redemption be brought about unto you. For behold, this life is
the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of
this life is the day for men to perform their labors.
Political Welfare:
Alma 48:11-12 And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a
man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in
bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom
of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery; Yea, a
man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the
many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people;
a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his
people.
Church Attendance and Welfare:
Moroni 6:3-6 And none were received unto baptism save they took
upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him
to the end. And after they had been received unto baptism, and
were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost,
they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ;
and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and
nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way,
to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon
the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their
faith. And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray,
and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls.
And they did meet together oft to partake of bread and wine, in
remembrance of the Lord Jesus.
We are here today for the same purpose the church did meet together
oft in Ancient America: `to fast and to pray, and to speak one with
one another concerning the welfare of our souls, and to partake of
the sacrament in remembrance of our Savior.' We all should be
here because we are our brother's keeper, striving to create
heaven on earth.
On July 1st 1973 I wrote a song which I named ?Deseret? which I
would like to quote:
C: There is a city in the clouds
A place where everyone wants to go
Between reflection and Mount Hope
On the other side of the snow
1. Made with love and paved with gold
Sir Thomas Moore called it Utopia
Working together, helping each other
They call it Deseret
C: There is a city in the clouds
A place where everyone wants to go
Between reflection and Mount Hope
On the other side of the snow
2. The people there have one heart, one mind
And they dwell in righteousness
In the city, they are equal, have harmony
There is no minority
C: There is a city in the clouds
A place where everyone wants to go
Between reflection and Mount Hope
On the other side of the snow
3. The towers glitter like the sun in the sky
Showing the triumph of good
A place of peace, of true freedom
A shinning ensign to the world
C: There is a city in the clouds
A place where everyone wants to go
Between reflection and Mount Hope
On the other side of the snow
And how do we get to this place I called Deseret? Repeating and
completing the quote from Malicahi 3:8-10,as already referenced
in President Hinkley's talk:
Malicahi 3:8-10 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But
ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this
whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse,
that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith,
saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of
heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be
room enough to receive it.
Tithing is all about helping each other, about providing chapels
and temples and welfare farms and satellite broadcasts and helping
lift each other to the Celestial Kingdom, and about being our
brother's keeper in the most positive sense of the way. And we
fall by the wayside and loose the promised blessing when we get
caught up in pride.
Sidney Sperry wrote in 1968 about pride.:
The gospel teaches us to be our brother's keeper and to help one
another. If people would only realize it, by being one in
spiritual things they could be rich in the material things of
the earth. When men are in harmony one with another, they look
after each other's interests; consequently, what benefits one
is bound to help all. Amos writes (vs. 24) that about the year
A.D. 201 certain persons became so lifted up in pride that they
began to wear costly apparel and all manner of fine pearls;
apparently they were interested more in the material things of
the world than the spiritual. From that time on, the Nephites
no longer had their goods and substance in common among them
(vs. 25).
(Sidney B. Sperry, Book of Mormon Compendium [Salt Lake City:
Bookcraft, 1968], 438 - 439.)
One of the main themes of my life has been to explore the concept
we in the church call consecration. There have been times when
the Lord has blessed me beyond my ability to receive the blessings.
However, most of my life has been times where there is too much
debt and not enough income. As I've grown older, I realize that
pride is a lot like weight. It doesn't take many dollars nor
very many chocolates for both to blossom. And so it is important
in my life for the blessings to not be too abundant, or I loose
site of the goal. On the 3rd of March 1990 I wrote a song I
called `Zion' which talks about the goal:
C: Zion on my mind
Filling up my brain with right
Zion in my heart
Flowing through my veins with might
1. Never loosing sight of the ultimate goal
Earth exists for us to share with other living souls
Zion is a place of safety, without any strife
Built upon the principles of celestial life
C: Zion on my mind
Filling up my brain with right
Zion in my heart
Flowing through my veins with might
2. Zion is a real city that is built in many places
A modern Garden of Eden filling the in between spaces
A place of gathering, a land to publish peace
A place of refuge, where all poverty has ceased
C: Zion on my mind
Filling up my brain with right
Zion in my heart
Flowing through my veins with might
3. Where the lion lies down next to the little lamb
The city of holiness, the New Jerusalem
Where the pure in heart find beauty and discover lasting joys
Preparing for the Lord to come are lovely girls and boys
C: Zion on my mind
Filling up my brain with right
Zion in my heart
Flowing through my veins with might
I've come to recognize that I will probably never see the New
Jerusalem. However, I have also found fulfillment in my life
through reading and study, my family, church callings, and
providing service when opportunities present themselves. Very
much like Elder Joseph Merril talked about in the April 1945
Conference Report:
Now let us, too, remember that to accept a proffered opportunity
to serve is to accept a responsibility as well. We then in very
fact become to an extent our brother's keeper. And in a larger
or a smaller measure the welfare of a brother, a child of God,
is in our keeping. From this point of view how fit for divine
condemnation is he who having accepted responsibility fails in
his duty to his brethren. Should not this thought act as a spur
to the discharge of duty? Should it not help to send us reverently
to our knees to seek earnestly and sincerely for the Lord's aid,
suited to our needs? Without his help, brethren, none of us can
fully succeed in his work. But succeeding, how great the joy and
satisfaction that fills our breasts-a delightful feeling that all
the money of a millionaire could not buy for us. This type of
feeling is a reward from our God for service in his cause.
It is an evidence of his acceptance of our efforts.
(Elder Joseph F. Merrill, Conference Report, April 1945,
Evening Meeting 114.)
As I look back over the physical and spiritual highs and lows in
my almost 22 years in Nottingham Country Ward, I recognize the
times when I have had this great joy and satisfaction fill my
heart and my mind and my soul. And I still recognize there is a
lot of growth yet for me to do. For instance, Thursday night I
stayed late at work to work on the talk because we have printer
issues at the house. On the way home, as I approached Chimney
Rock and the I-10 Frontage Road, there was a lady with a homeless,
please help sign. The other time I saw here there she looked
pretty ragged. This time she had on a nice blouse and looked me
in the eye. Having spent a couple of hours thinking about and
writing about being my brother's keeper, I could not help but
wonder if there was something I needed to do to help this woman.
I wondered why she was there, and my mind quickly went to others
who struggle much more than me. Then my mind went to the
scriptures and I recalled the story in John 9:1-3 where it says:
John 9:1-3 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind
from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master,
who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents:
but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
We are not to judge ourselves or others. We are to provide
service, and as we do we will see the works of God manifest in
our lives. As described by George Wilson, 1924 Superintendent
of the Malad Stake Young Men Mutual Improvement Association:
We are living in a day in which our ideas and actions are changing.
The old individual and national feeling of isolation is changing
to one of individual and national responsibility. We no longer
feel that we can stand independently apart from other individuals
and from other nations. Our welfare is largely tied up with
their's. As they move forward, so do we; and, reversely, they
can move forward only as we do. What they do affects our
well-being, as also does what we do affect them. The truth of
Cain's interrogation-"Am I my brother's keeper?"-is being borne
home. We are responsible to our brother, as he is responsible to
us; in that what we do or say affects him, or as also what he
does or says affects us. We are as a chain that reaches forward
into eternity, and no one link can long hold back without, sooner
or later, affecting the whole chain. These facts are becoming
recognized more each day by sociologists, who are now saying
that all advancement is done in groups; albeit, some are leaders,
while others are trailing, and yet those in the lead can at no
time put more than a certain distance between themselves and those
in the rear. The advancement of all takes place largely as each
individual advances. A chain is no stronger than its weakest link.
The degree of progress is largely gauged by the weaker members.
(Am I My Brother's Keeper? by Dr. Geo. A. Wilson, Superintendent
Malad Stake Y. M. M. I. A., Improvement Era, 1924, Vol. Xxviii.
November, 1924 No. 1 .)
Testimony and close in the Savior's name.']]>
There were a lot of folks who said they liked what I said. It
always feels good to get this kind of positive feedback. In
Gospel Doctrine I wrote a possible stanza for Prime Words based
on a comment by Alice Beckstrom (a) about Pride:
<![CDATA[ `Pride can be insidious
"Look at all of my trials" (a)
Not realizing it is hideous
To boast about traveled miles']]>
Chris Schmidt taught the Priesthood lesson about unity. It was
a good lesson. Chris stressed the trials the church has had
with apostasy at the time of Christ, in the America's, and with
the restoration. I couldn't resist, and tied the story about
Orson Pratt and the Quorum of the 12 into what he was saying
(../0219.html). Andrea fixed a very nice dinner, with spinach
salad, and chicken and rice with a pineapple sweet and sour
sauce. Then I sent last week's thoughtlets, and worked on
moving my talk to this Thoughtlet, which I named `Am I My
Brother's Keeper?' until it was time to go Home Teaching.
Scott Whitrock went with me this month. The new lady we were
assigned was home, and we met her. It doesn't sound like she
wants us to come back, and she implied she will be sending a
letter to the Bishop to this effect. It is so sad to see
people trample on the eternal aspects of life. Hayden wasn't
home. We had a nice visit with the Schmidts. I let Scott
drive on those portions of the trip that were not on a major
street. I enjoy going Home Teaching and guess that I have
always really believed that I am my brother's keeper."
Since the 38th week of 1996 I have written a weekly "Thoughtlet"
(little statements of big thoughts which mean a lot to me).
Until the 43rd week of 2004 I sent these out as an e-mail. They
were intended to be big thoughts which mean a lot to me.
Over time the process evolved into a personal diary. These notes
were shared with my family because I know how important the
written word can be. Concerned about how easy it is to drift and
forget our roots and our potential among all of distractions of
daily life, I thought this was a good way to reach those I love.
It no longer feels right to send out an e-mail and "force" my kids
and my family to be aware of my life and struggles.
Everyone has their own life to lead, and their own struggles to
work through. I will continue this effort, and will continue to
make my notes publicly accessible (unless I learn of
misuse by someone who finds out about them, and then will
aggressively
pursue a legal remedy to copyright infringement and I will put the Thoughtlets
behind a password).
The index to download any of these Thoughtlets is at
http://www.walden3d.com/thoughtlets,
or you can e-mail me with
questions or requests at
rnelson@walden3d.com
(note if you are not on my e-mail "whitelist" you must send 2 e-mails
within 24 hours of each other in order for your e-mail to not be trashed).
With all my love,
Dad
(H. Roice Nelson, Jr.)