2/24/08

Yo Boyo,

I got your letter about helping Alex find a job and that’s about all I have to go off of this week. I’ve been talking with him back and forth a little bit already, so I’ll see what I can find. Anyway, I finished up that video finally and I just need to get with John to transfer it over to DVD. So when that’s done, I’ll send it out to you. I’m still cruising along in Alma. I’m in ch. 38 right now. So I’ll easily beat this 97 day challenge. I just have to have it ready by May 10^th, so no problemo. You never told me if you were tackling Jesus the Christ yet or not. What else besides B of M are you reading?

We had our breakfast at the church this morning with our new class. It should be pretty fun teaching those kids. They are supposedly the big challenge class, but we had them all warmed up to us in minutes. I don’t think they realize that I deal with problem children on a daily basis at work. So these guys won’t be too much challenge. Then tonight, we ate dinner at another couple in the ward’s house. They are cool. They are just a little younger than us, so we related well with them. We had a good dinner, played some games, and got to know each other a lot better. That was nice of them to have us over. They invited us earlier today. So that was cool.

I went over to Tim’s work on Friday. That’s the first time I have been over there. I’ve never seen that place before. So he briefed me on how his shifts work, what his employees are like, what he needs the most help with and gave me an overview of the whole thing. So I told him how I thought I could help him most effectively and we decided to move forward. So I’ll be working some on call to part time HR consulting for Tim. I actually forwarded Tim Alex’s resume since he told me he had some CNC machining experience and Tim is looking for some mid level machine operators to hire. Who knows, that might have been good timing for a reason that I got with Tim the day after I got your e-mail about Alex. Then Alex sends me his resume the afternoon after I meet with Tim. We’ll see if Tim is interested in doing a phone interview or looking at him any further.

I got our taxes done this week too. So that will be nice to get a fatty check coming to us soon. That will pay for my yard this fall when you are back to help with that. Ha ha.

Not sure what else to talk about since I’m sans info this week from you.

I’ll be looking for your epiphany learned this week. I actually had one while reading in Alma. The first one is about the man Amulek. He was a much bigger stud than I gave him credit for before. Beginning in Alma 10:4…

4 And behold, I am also a man of no small ^areputation among all those who know me; yea, and behold, I have many kindreds and ^bfriends, and I have also acquired much riches by the hand of my ^cindustry.

5 Nevertheless, after all this, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his ^amysteries and marvelous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people.

6 Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was ^acalled many times and I would not ^bhear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling ^cagainst God, in the wickedness of my heart, even until the fourth day of this seventh month, which is in the tenth year of the reign of the judges.

Then we know he was visited by the angel who told him to prepare to hook up with Alma who would come to him. Take him into your home, help him get his snack on and his drink on and then learn a few things from him and get out there and serve me and become an effective instrument in my hands. Dude had all kinds of sweet hook ups already. He pretty much had hero status in the community, plenty of cash and goodies, and as he says he was not wanting for connections in his network of friends and family. Yet, when Alma came a calling, he blessed his household, his women and his children, his father and his kinfolk. That shows what kind of humility he and his family had that they recognized the need for further blessings of this holy man. What more could you ask for if you had plenty of riches? Humility and further blessings is what. How much more sweet did their lives get when they accepted these blessings by Alma I wonder? I’m sure it was ten-fold what they were already basking in. That’s how I feel in my life. I have been blessed so much with more tender mercies than I have deserved. Way more blessings than I have earned, way more charmed and blessed life than the majority of people I know. I have plenty of riches as I would see it, I have plenty of great friends and a stalwart family. What more could I ask for? Well, I learn from Amulek’s life and family that I could continue to work on humility, I can support a holy man on a mission as I have been, and I can get my butt to work on the things that the Lord would have me to do be an effective instrument in His hands and use all that he has given me in reputation, in riches, and in a strong network to further His kingdom and purposes. So I have renewed myself for such a purpose.

Then I have mad respect for his skills he has acquired in dealing with the so called learned and wise of the people. Picking back up in vs. 13:

13 Nevertheless, there were some among them who thought to question them, that by their cunning ^adevices they might catch them in their words, that they might ^bfind witness against them, that they might deliver them to their judges that they might be judged according to the law, and that they might be slain or cast into prison, according to the crime which they could make appear or witness against them.

14 Now it was those men who sought to destroy them, who were ^alawyers, who were hired or appointed by the people to administer the law at their times of trials, or at the trials of the crimes of the people before the judges.

15 Now these lawyers were learned in all the arts and ^acunning of the people; and this was to enable them that they might be skilful in their profession.

16 And it came to pass that they began to question Amulek, that thereby they might make him ^across his words, or contradict the words which he should speak.

17 Now they knew not that Amulek could ^aknow of their designs. But it came to pass as they began to question him, he ^bperceived their thoughts, and he said unto them: O ye wicked and perverse ^cgeneration, ye lawyers and hypocrites, for ye are laying the foundations of the devil; for ye are laying ^dtraps and snares to catch the holy ones of God.

18 Ye are laying plans to ^apervert the ways of the righteous, and to bring down the wrath of God upon your heads, even to the utter destruction of this people.

Fools! You don’t mess with God’s anointed! The learning of man and all the cunning devices of the devil has nothing on a righteous man with the Spirit residing strongly with him. He goes on to not only withstand their snares and traps they try to lay out there for him to trip up on, people who do this for a living and a profession, yet he’s just getting started in his ministry and he not only walks their minefield they lay out there, but rebukes them pretty strongly. Not only that but they break out the big guns and sick Zeezrom on him. Amulek ends that argument by not only turning the trap around and catching Zeezrom in his lies and bearing testimony so powerful that the people were astonished and Zeezrom began to tremble. What a STUD! I’m loving Amulek right about now.

Here’s my second epiphany of the week. In Alma 17, we get back into my favorite feller of the Book of Mormon in my long list of favorites. Ammon. Inside the story that we all know like the back of our hands, but this little golden thread was poking out that I had not pulled at yet. This is that little golden thread that I hadn’t pondered on before that I will end up using to exhort you on and if you want, go ahead and use it in some trainings and exhort your Zones or other missionaries that you train.

Starting in Alma 17:29. This of course on the heels of the band of hooligans coming to scatter the flocks.

29 Now they wept because of the fear of being slain. Now when Ammon saw this his heart was swollen within him with joy; for, said he, I will show forth my power unto these my fellow-servants, or the power which is in me, in restoring these flocks unto the king, that I may win the hearts of these my fellow-servants, that I may lead them to ^abelieve in my words.

The key phrase is he will show forth his power unto his fellow servants.

The exhortation is to find those situations where you can show forth YOUR power unto your fellow servants (missionaries if you are AP, ZL, or DL and you are training those under your stewardship, or if you are in a teaching situation, those investigators you are teaching) so that you may win their hearts and that you may lead them to believe in your words.

What situations can you show forth your power? Maybe you are a particularly good teacher. You are on exchanges with a struggling missionary that hasn’t had that many good experiences yet. You get into a house with a family that is ready to eat up everything you have to say and you blow that house up with the spirit and relate every point directly to each individual in the room so that the message is driven home with each of them and you commit them all to baptism as prompted by the spirit and that missionary is forever changed now that he has a taste of what that kind of experience is like. He hungers for that kind of teaching experience the rest of his mission, all because you had an opportunity to show forth that power that is in you as Ammon did.

Maybe you are a particularly good trainer and you fast and pray for an opportunity to really touch those ZL’s or whomever you are training that week. You get a prompting to hit a few key points or are inspired by a new teaching tool to use going forward. You prepare that message and feel it is that time to share it and you slay that room with the spirit and effectively inspire every leader in that room to then go back and train the crap out of their zones and districts. They do so with gusto having been inspired by that power they felt at that time. Whatever the situation is, I exhort you to find those opportunities to show forth your power to your fellow servants and win their hearts. I know you have that power in many ways. Maybe it’s lying dormant and will present itself to you at a future date. I seriously doubt that Ammon was just waiting for an opportunity to have a band of robbers jump him when he was around some of his fellow sheepherders. He was put in a situation where that scenario presented itself quite unexpectedly. He was given the inspiration that he could take them all. He had protection and he would be given the strength and skill to take care of bidness in a very inspiring and legendary way. Those are the opportunities you should be always watchful for. Listen for that inspiration and you might just surprise yourself if you listen and follow through on those promptings. I can’t imagine that there wasn’t some element of surprise with Ammon when he did all that. He had to be like Holy Cow Dude! Did you see what I just did? That was AWESOME!! This is going to travel up to the king in a matter of minutes. I’ll just go feed the horses and wait and see what happens from here. Ha ha. What a rock star! Not only do I think you can do show forth your power, I think you can inspire others to do the same. Build that army of strong warriors in the NC Charlotte mission and make that the best mission in the world. I’m sure it’s pretty close already. But with a bunch of missionaries that begin to show forth Ammon-esque power surges, Holy Schmoly man, I can only imagine the attention your mission would grab from the General Authorities. Word of these amazing examples will travel up to them as fast as it did to the King about what Ammon did. Mark my words. I don’t just pull this out of some hat either, I feel the spirit as I testify this to you. So I know that it is true. I know that such things are not only possible, but likely with the right motivation. That is why I’m not just encouraging you to try this, but am exhorting you to DO this. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

That will serve as my quote of the week for this week. Get out after it Mike. I look forward to hearing some updates from you this week.

I love you.

Trav