Fluhman Rocks

I've been re-reading some of my Fluhman lecture notes, and this portion from one lecture is one of my favorites. Check out his commentary on a scripture in D&C 20, coupled with the text of a dedication by Henry B. Eyring that he ties into it. AWESOME.

Thoughts?


D&C 20:5-6.

5 After it was truly manifested unto this first elder that he had received a aremission of his sins, he was bentangled again in the cvanities of the world;
6 But after arepenting, and humbling himself sincerely, through faith, God ministered unto him by an holy bangel, whose ccountenance was as lightning, and whose garments were pure and white above all other whiteness;

So we’ve got the Angel Moroni, but what’s this made manifest to Joseph that his sins are remitted . . . stuff? What’s that a reference to? First Vision. Listen to the following 1832 Account. The one you have is from 1838 in the Pearl of Great Price, it was NOT the first time Joseph Smith wrote the First Vision down. First time that we have record of was 1832—are you ready?

“I cried unto the Lord for mercy, for there was none else to whom I could go and to obtain mercy, and the Lord heard my cry in the wilderness, and while the attitude of calling upon the Lord, a pillar of light—fire was crossed out—above the brightness of the son at noonday, came down from above and rested upon me and I was filled with the Spirit of God, and the Lord opened the heavens upon me and I saw the Lord, and he spake unto me saying, “Joseph, my son, thy sins are forgiven thee. Go thy way, walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, behold, I am the Lord of Glory. I was crucified for the world, that all those who believe on my name might have eternal life.”

Absolutely unforgettable. We tell the Primary kids that he went into the Grove wanting to know which church was true, and we’ve told them a half-truth: that’s only half the reason he went in! Why was he going into the Grove? He was looking for mercy! I cried unto the Lord for mercy, he says, in 1832. And what does the Lord come and say unto him? Thy sins are forgiven thee. The First Vision, appropriately, is the resolve of a personal quest for the blessings of the Atonement. Don’t we want it that way? Doesn’t that sound right to your soul? It’s true—believe it! He repeats it in 1835, I brought that one, too. Knowing you as I do, I knew you’d want it.

“I called upon the Lord in mighty prayer. A pillar of fire appeared above my head, which presently rested down upon me, and filled me with unspeakable joy. A personage appeared in the midst of this pillar of flame, which was spread all around and yet nothing consumed. Another personage soon appeared like unto the first. He said unto me, 'Thy sins are forgiven thee.' He testified also unto me that Jesus Christ is the son of God. I saw many angels in this vision.”

Absolutely, again, unforgettable! That the mighty prayer was answered again with this, Thy sins are forgiven thee. Not to mention the very interesting point left out of the 1838 version, that one being appeared, and then the other. Many angels. Great, great stuff. So, truly, verse 5 of Section 20. We’re reading it, and it said that he’d received a remission of his sins, and many of us didn’t even know what we were reading! This is a reference to the First Vision! Fantastic! Wonderful.

The 1832 one is partly in his own handwriting and partly in the handwriting of Frederick G. Williams. The 1835 one is all in the handwriting of Warren Cowdery, Oliver’s brother, who is acting as a scribe. The 1835 one is a trip. This guy comes to Kirtland and says, Hey, I’m a prophet. I hear you’ve got a prophet. Let’s have an alliance. Joseph’s like, Who are you? And he said, well you know, I had this experience, and they kind of trade conversion stories. And luckily, Warren Cowdery’s there, writing like a crazed man, no doubt, so Joseph tells him the experience. Turns out this guy is a lunatic, frankly, name is Robert Matthews, went by Matthias, and he went through a murder trial in New York, and Joseph and the Saints finally figured out who he was and went, like, wait a minute, aren’t you that one guy? Yeah. Joseph’s like, You’re out of here. In fact, later in the journal Joseph says, I told him the devil was his god and I saw him out.  Bye bye Robert Matthews! Incredible exchange in Kirtland. Wild! But luckily he came because we get this First Vision account. So, did you get all that down? You will love them, they are marvelous (First Vision accounts).

He’s terrible with dates, you’re going to be find that right away. Joseph Smith is terrible with dates. What he’s emphasizing early on is obviously the redemptive quality of the vision, the personal quality. By 1838, when he gives the account in the Pearl of Great Price, it’s like his vision of the global significance of the vision, he’s emphasizing kind of the call of prophet element of it. But early on, it’s raw and personal to him, it’s about him and mercy in his own heart—it’s amazing, it’s so touching!

For a reminder of that, walk in front of the Joseph Smith statue, in the warmth, there’s a plaque there, Elder Eyring dedication, powerfully articulates the significance of the First Vision as a moment with the Atonement, and it would be a fitting end to class there.

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Elder Eyring's Dedication

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The Vision
A statue by Avard T. Fairbanks

"I would like to pay tribute to the artist, Avard Fairbanks, and make a wish for the way this statue should be viewed by those who come here. My tribute to Avard Fairbanks is for what he didn't show. One of the marks of great art is not what it portrays but what it suggests. There are other figures not sculpted here which I would like you to imagine with an eye of faith. God the Eternal Father and his Beloved Son Jesus Christ appeared to open this dispensation.

"From studying the various accounts of the First Vision, we learn that young Joseph went into the grove not only to learn which church he should join but also to obtain forgiveness for his sins—something he seems not to have understood how to do. And in more than one account the Lord addressed the young truth seeker and said, 'Joseph, my son, thy sins are forgiven thee.'

"I hope that as young people through the generations see this statue, they will realize that though the building is named for Joseph Smith, and though the statue portrays him, this piece of art represents that moment when Joseph learned there was a way for the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ to be unlocked fully. Because of what Joseph saw and what began at this moment, the Savior was able, through this great and valiant servant and through others that He sent, to restore power and privilege. That power and privilege allows us, and all who will live, to have the benefit of Jesus Christ's Atonement work in our lives. Joseph Smith is looking up at the figures not shown.

"I testify to you that Jesus is the Christ. He lives. I know He lives. I know Joseph saw Him, and I know that because He lives and because Joseph looked up and saw Him and because He sent other messengers, you and I may have the thing that the Prophet Joseph wanted as he went to the grove: to know, not just to hope, that our sins can be washed away."

Definitions

Today on the drive up to LA, we got into a bit of a spiritual discussion. A question popped into my head that I haven't been able to fully answer, but I like the question: What's the difference between meekness and humility?

Classic Sheri Dew Quote

"Do you believe that the Savior will really do for you what He has said He will do? That He will give you strength and insight to deal with the challenges at hand? That He will lighten your burden and turn your weakness into strength? That He will heal your broken heart and fill you with hope? That He will renew your energy and help you forgive? That He will help you deal with disappointment and loneliness, and fill you with the sweet knowledge of how precious you are to Him? That He will help you resist your greatest temptation? That He will respond to your deepest hurt or longing and bless you with a spirit of good cheer, optimism, and faith? That He is the only source of comfort, strength, information, knowledge, and peace that will not change, will not move, will not betray you, and will never let you down?"

Sheri Dew, "No Doubt About It," p. 142-143

Christ-like Attitudes

My friend, Lyndsey, gave a talk in our singles ward today, and it was such a fantastic talk. She and I had been discussing her topic all week and it gave me so much to think about: "Developing Christ-like Attitudes Towards Others." One of the things that hit me this week that's never hit me before is this (and it partially proves that I'm an idiot to just clue into this now): Christ is the key to changing our attitudes towards others. (How did I miss this before?)

If I want to be kinder to people, if I want to think more lovingly of people, if I want to see others as He sees them, I need Christ. Yes, I can do my part, but initially and ultimately, I need Christ. I say initially very purposefully; Brother Fluhman always hated how people say, "I do all I can and THEN Christ helps me," as though we earn his grace and mercy, as though we do our part and then Christ's mercy kicks in. It doesn't work that way. His grace and mercy is helping us all along the way as we contribute whatever it is that we can. It's a partnership, not a I do this, and then He does this.

I'm so rambling, but I've had so many fun thoughts lately!

But the key for me to her topic had two parts that are very interconnected. One is Sheri Dew's point that our degree of conversion can be seen in how we treat others. Examples are plentiful in the scriptures where, when people come unto Christ and are forgiven of their sins, their thoughts immediately turn to the welfare of others. "When we turn our hearts over to the Lord, we instinctively open our hearts to others."

The second point is that we truly need to apply the Atonement in shaping our attitudes towards others. We can't do it properly or fully on our own; we can do a lot, to be sure, but I think to have the exhilarating, healthy and fulfilling relationships (I don't just mean romantic relationships here--I'm talking about all relationships) come best with His help, with an infusion of His love into us, so that we can see people as He sees them.

Does any of this make sense? I think it makes more sense conceptually in my head than on paper (uhhh . . . blogs), but it's been a fun pondering topic.

Lord, Increase My Faith

For the next little bit here, I'm going to need a major increase in my faith. I'm kind of dumbfounded a bit, and wondering, Okay, HOW do I increase my faith?

I'm thinking of the fantastic book by Elder Maxwell, "Lord, Increase Our Faith" where he uses Brigham Young's quote as a springboard for the whole book; the quote says that we must have "faith in [Jesus'] name, character and atonement . . . faith in his Father and in the plan of salvation." Elder Maxwell breaks each aspect of that quote into a chapter and delves into it deeper.

I'm definitely going to need to read this book in the next week or two to try and add to the strength of the foundation of my faith.

How does one increase his or her faith? How have you? Or how have you seen others' faith increase?

Humility

This last week has been one of the most stressful of my life--though the week of Wendy's move and my parent's divorce probably tops it. But this week has been very heavy and very intense at work--very uncharacteristic for my job and the folks there! In this, however, I have seen something pretty extraordinary: as much as we have been united, we've also been on edge because of the stress of the situation, and we've said a few pointed things or neglected to say things that should have been said.

But, and this is a very big but, I have heard many apologies over the last couple of days. One of the women said to me tonight, "I've NEVER been in a workplace where people apologize." It's really quite incredible. We've discussed how humility is not a sign of weakness; rather, humility is a sign of great strength and confidence.

When I think of how the Savior willingly took so much abuse, so much taunting, so much ridicule, and took it all with such grace, I am humbled. His humility showed his complete and total faith in His Father, and that just showed our Savior's true strength, because He knew in Whom He trusted.

I am so grateful for people at work who have shown such Christlike qualities.

My Goal

I've started this blog as a place where I can share spiritual thoughts I've been having. Some friends have shared testimonies or insights in blogs that have really touched me, and I want to have a specific place for that. Please feel free to comment and share your experiences and insights, as well. Nothing beats a great spiritual discussion, right? =)