From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V2 #129 Reply-To: aml-list Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Friday, August 22 2003 Volume 02 : Number 129 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2003 09:17:34 -0600 From: Christopher Bigelow Subject: RE: [AML] Caffeinated Drinks Ah, yes, Church Office Building memories. What kept me from being translated while I worked at the Ensign was, most mornings, I did a double-whammy sin: jaywalked across the street to that convenience store to purchase real Coke, not only for me but for several coworkers. And I always saw at least one other group of beefy-looking COB employees doing the same thing, their ties and suit coats flapping as they ran across the street illegally. One earnest guy stopped me one time to warn me about the jaywalking, and I clapped him on the shoulder and said, "Thanks, good brother, now mind your own business." Before I arrived at the COB in 1993, I believe they handed out special mugs and made a rule that only those mugs could be used in the building for any kind of drink, but the rule had fallen into disuse by the time I arrived. One time at an Ensign retreat, the secretary brought a cooler full of real Coke, Pepsi, etc. A general authority was in attendance, and I found a perverse pleasure in cracking open a cold one in front of him. And he did do a double-take. Oh, another thing I did to avoid being translated was listen to Metallica's black album in my office while editing general conference talks (sometimes while wearing my purple shirt). Yes, I was just a little passive aggressive at the COB. You down with COB? Yeah, you know me. Chris Bigelow - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2003 09:58:24 -0600 From: Margaret Young Subject: [AML] Great and Noble Ones Shortly after I posted my diatribe about the misinterpretation of the Book of Abraham, specifically the scripture referring to =93great and noble ones=94 selected in the pre-earth life to be leaders, I attended a viewing and funeral for the husband of a good friend of mine. He drowned a week ago in a kayaking accident. As I embraced my friend, I told her how grateful I was that she had found Mike (Perkins=97former chair of BYU=92s Communications department). She is so dear to me that = it mattered greatly for her to have a good marriage. She said, =93You have that, too. We=92re so lucky, Maggie. We=92re so lucky. We got great = and noble ones.=94 In that context, I wasn=92t at all of the mind to say anything like, =93So are you implying that other people aren=92t great = and noble?=94 I was deeply moved by what she said=97and in awe that she = could say how lucky we were when her husband was in his coffin. I do indeed see great and noble men and women in many settings on this earth. I don=92t know if they were born great, made great or had =93greatness = thrust upon =91em=94, but whatever they=92ve gone through or chosen to become, = they are NOW great and noble. I would love to have everyone read the talk Garold Davis (my friend=92s father) gave at Mike=92s funeral. I found = it inspired and inspiring. He spoke of a dream he had on Sunday wherein he saw Mike speaking with an angel during the terrible day of his drowning. Garold awoke from the dream but was still seeing the vision and hearing the conversation. He said he believed it was inspiration. In the dream, the angel was comforting Mike, who was witnessing his own body being dashed against rocks and branches in the river=97and worse, was witnessing the horror of his family, who saw the whole thing. The angel said, =93This was an accident. We could have interceded, but we were = not authorized to do so. You were to have been a stake president and a mission president, but someone else will take those callings now. There is work for you here.=94 The angel then saw how agitated Mike was at = the horror his family was experiencing, and explained that the horror would be transformed to holiness, and that Mike=92s family would receive a special blessing, a mantle of protection. They would be subject to temptation, but would receive special protection from the powers of the adversary. There=92s much more and I wish I could remember it all. I = was so grateful that I heard NONE of the clich=E9s we usually hear at funerals=97about God needing the person who has left us. I was grateful to have the fact of accidents and tragedies be openly acknowledged. And more than anything, I was astounded at the greatness and nobility of my friend. As she and her children watched Mike die in this terrible way and realized that he was dead and they could not even get to him to rescue the body, my friend pulled her children into an embrace (they were standing on a rock in the river) and said, =93Satan will try to divide us and have us blame God for this. But we will not allow that to happen. We will be strong and we will be together.=94 Because my first acquaintance with this friend was 30 years ago, we have known each other in moments of tremendous insecurity, silliness, stupidity, etc. It is marvelous to see someone you know and love reveal their greatness. Interestingly, my friend=92s dad was a childhood friend of my mother in Idaho Falls. Mom attended the funeral with me and said afterwards how impressed she was by Garold=97who was =93a terror=94 in his childhood. = For me, the whole experience of Mike=92s death and the family=92s response = to it has shown me again the CORE of our faith. Surely there=92s plenty we = can pick away at. There=92s probably not one Church leader who hasn=92t = said something a little silly at some point. But the core of this faith=97which we MUST know and cling to if we are to stay in it=97is the revelation of God to man, and the revelation of our own potential. Our religion is not comprised of the summation of historical facts or even of inspirational pioneer stories and quotes from general authorities. It is founded on the principles of God=92s very real awareness of us, evidenced by His calling Joseph by name; it is founded on the concept that we can become beings of glory through the grace of Jesus Christ and if we are true and faithful to the gospel; it is founded upon the priesthood, which binds us to our Lord, seals us to our families, and gives us power to transcend tragedy and to bless and be blessed. There are these moments when we leave the somewhat irrelevant discussions and participate in the heart-wrenching efforts to unite ourselves and give comfort=97when we REALLY live up to our covenants to mourn with those = that mourn=97or when we (like my friend standing with her children on the = rock) defy the powers of Satan that would divide us and have us blame God for our personal tragedies and maybe for institutional errors. These moments show me the core of my faith and remind me why I still believe. =20 ________________ Margaret Young 1027 JKHB English Department Brigham Young University Provo, UT 84602-6280 Tel: 801-422-4705 Fax: 801-422-0221 - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2003 07:20:18 -1000 From: "Peter Chamberlain" Subject: RE: [AML] Caffeinated Drinks Just and interesting schizophrenia: I was at the Church-owned Polynesian Cultural Center a few weeks ago and at the Luau I noticed that all of the drinks at the soda fountain were caffeine free, yet right next to the soda fountain was a bank of six or seven coffee pots. Sorta funny I thought. Peter Chamberlain Project Engineer Westcon Microtunneling (808) 258-3164 pchamberlain@westcon.net - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V2 #129 ******************************