Mein Verrückt Kampf: Sacrament Meeting, Part 1

Some of you have expressed curiosity regarding what goes on inside my mind [mein kampf]. Well, hopefully this post will offer a view into that dark recess that is, my conscious mental activity.

Generally speaking, I pay attention during my church meetings. Whether I'm closing my eyes or reading scriptures at that moment, I am simultaneously listening to the speaker. When I hear something noteworthy or that evokes a memorable thought of my own, I'll write it down. Today, however, I wrote pretty much everything down.

What follows next may appear to be a random collection of thoughts, but in reality it is a chronological list of conscious thoughts from today's Sacrament Meeting:

* I feel so blessed to have found another congregation meeting for sacrament meeting with such ease. I was afraid I would have to walk all over campus to find one. [The moment I walked into the BYU Richards Building, I saw two open doors leading into a dance studio that doubles as a sacrament meeting room on Sundays.]

* [Just before the meeting begins, a pair of missionaries come in and sit down next to me.] My beard is a missionary magnate. There were plenty of open seats much closer to where they entered, and yet they specifically chose to walk around to the inside of the isle and sit next to me. I'm not even sure they knew what they were attracted to because they didn't make an effort to speak to me at all. Perhaps their passive approach to missionary work is founded on the "being available" philosophy, hoping I would be the one to initiate a dialogue. They looked over at me nervously a few times at first, but soon settled in and dozed off. Probably, their 2 or 3 sacrament meeting of the day.

* After two full weeks of not having participated in the ordinance of the sacrament, I felt truly sanctified––the sensation was lifting and tingly. I sensed the Holy Ghost's divine, cleansing power throughout my body. I have also recognized these same feelings during times of high emotion. The difference is that the feelings of the Spirit are not just a charge of positive emotion. Endorphins + Hopeful Confidence + Peace = Fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 22:2-3). The Holy Ghost is able to communicate with our Spirits through the manipulation of the body's natural chemistry.

It's like in Star Wars when Obi Wan Kanobi instructs Luke, from beyond the veil, to turn off his targeting computer to help him fire the torpedoes that would destroy the first Death Star. "Stretch out with your feelings. Let go, Luke. Trust me." Metachlorians. Chemistry. Bishop George Lucas. JK.


* Elder Holland, when speaking at a Missionary Conference in Virginia, said in reference to Master Fishermen of the New Testament, "the first rule of a good mariner is to not jump out of the boat, especially in the middle of a storm."

I thought this quote had tremendous meaning in reference to enduring through difficult trials of our lives. This analogy would work especially well in Seattle stakes, home to many a Seattle Mariners baseball fan.

*OMGosh! My heart just murmured. I heard the first word of the high-pitched voice that I use for my text-message notification. The complete message is, "HEY! Follow the sound of my voice and kill whoever is holding the phone." [I knew the noise couldn't have come from my phone. I made sure it was on Silent Mode before the meetings remembering how embarrassed I was when in went off in the BYU Smith Field House for Stake Conference last week.] For the next few minutes I sat paranoid, knowing that it was someone else, but still nervous that somehow my naughty phone had somehow managed to deceive me. Obviously, I still don't feel confident using my phone. I rarely bring it with me to church. I just thought I might need it to help me locate a church meeting.

THERE IT WAS AGAIN?! My eyes tracked the peculiar noise to a pair of men's shoes four rows and on the opposite side of the isle from me. The squeak produced by his shoes rubbing against the hardwood floor was the exact same pitch and tone as my phone. One would think that my anxiety would have subsided after determining the true source of the squeak, but still, my heart jumped every time his sole contacted the ground, thinking that my text alert was going off.

*One of the speakers named Frederico Rodriquez, from the sovereign state of PR, mentioned a quote that he attributed to Elder Packer that really caught my attention, "If you keep the commandments, you are going to be alright." Usually, on GRE questions, you can't get away with saying something so general and still expect that it will apply in all possible circumstances. But I think this one really does work out from an eternal perspective. Death [considered by some to be the worst thing that could happen to us in this life] is an insignificant challenge if we are doing what is right; in fact, it would be a cause for celebration if you are a loved one on the other side of the veil.

*PROFOUND PRINCIPLE OF THE DAY: After pondering the previous prophetic quote for a minute, my mind somehow drifted off to form this terrific catch-phrase:

"Hit the Reset Button."

The idea behind this sound-byte is a revolutionary approach to coming unto Christ. The overall effect is not unlike defragmenting a computer hard drive. Once one has spiritually prepared themselves and ready to completely reorder their own life, they "hit the reset button" by dropping out everything from their schedule. This ranges from free-time hobbies (facebook, piano practice) to life-supporting necessities (eating, sleeping). Prepared with a pen and paper and prayer, one is then ready to rebuild their schedule based on the fundamental things that required to attain the kingdom of heaven. (2 Nephi 31:20) Specifically, these spiritually-minded items include, personal and family prayer, personal scripture study and regular temple attendance. Subsequently, include marriage and family commitments and goals and then church callings. Next, include work or school priorities. Finally, one would fill in the rest of their schedule with the activities and goals that they feel correspond with their interests and what the Lord would have them do. This shouldn't take too long and is guaranteed to have tremendous benefits.

Upon completing this exercise, one is sure to find that not only do they feel better about how they they plan to spend their precious time but that they also have more free time than they had before. (It may not appear so on paper, but in reality, the Lord always lends added time/power to those who are making a conscious, consistent effort to serve him.)

Matt. 6:33 –– But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.