The Innkeeper (Let Him In)

23 Sunday Dec 2012

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There have been many times in my life when I have felt empty inside. It seems that each of us on the earth has a certain hole in our hearts that can only be filled by the love of Jesus Christ. Yet we try to fill it with all kinds of other things in order to find happiness. We wander from pleasure to pleasure, finding all kinds of activities and pursuits to fill that void.

We find that if and when we reached our fill, we move on to something else. One day we realize that no amount of wealth or pleasure or success in this world is enough. They only keep us distracted. It wasn’t until I truly made a decision to push all the world aside and let Him into my heart that it changed. That is when I truly began to learn to live like He did and to love like He did. And that void in my life filled faster than I could possibly imagine. And I have found that as it fills, it also expands!

One of my favorite Christmas songs is about an Innkeeper. It’s a story about a man who turned Joseph, Mary and their unborn baby away. In the Bible we read that there was no room in his inn. So often in my life, I have never had room or time for something or someone when in fact I simply didn’t make room or time for something. And that is what this song is about.

The Innkeeper (Let Him In)
By: Michael McLean
Vocal: Gene Moreford

I am a man forgotten
No one recalls my name
Thousands of years will fail to
Fully erase my shame
But I turned a profit
Nicely the day
That I turned the couple away
I turned them away…

I didn’t sleep that evening
Though I’d sold out my place
Somehow I felt uneasy
Something about her face
Why did I wish
That I’d let them stay?
I didn’t think they could pay
Or could they have paid?

Restless, I left my bedroom
I walked the streets all night
Lost in the world I lived in
Found by a heavenly light
Staring at one bright star in the sky
I heard a baby cry
And I knew where that cry
Had come from
‘Cuz I’d told them where
they could go
But I didn’t think I could face them
And so I walked slowly home
Missing my chance
To share in their joy
I never saw the boy

He never would condemn me
I did that all on my own
He offered His forgiveness
And ever since then, I’ve known
He lets us choose
Each hour of each day
If we’ll let Him in to stay

Let Him in
Let Him in
Let the joy and hope begin
Let Him in
Let Him in
Let the peace on earth begin

And whether it be
In your world today
Or a crowded Bethlehem Inn,
Find a way
Make Him room
Let Him in
Let Him in
Let the peace on earth begin
Let Him in
Let Him in
Let the joy and hope begin
Let Him in
Let Him in
Let Him in
Let Him in

Ye Ask Not

26 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by in Book of Mormon

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2 Nephi 32 is one of the most pivotal chapters of the entire Book of Mormon, in my opinion. What does it mean to come unto Christ? What does it mean to make our calling and election sure?

1 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, I suppose that ye ponder somewhat in your hearts concerning that which ye should do after ye have entered in by the way. But, behold, why do ye ponder these things in your hearts?
2 Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?
3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.
4 Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark.
5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.
6 Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh. And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do.
7 And now I, Nephi, cannot say more; the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance, and I am left to mourn because of the unbelief*, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be.

After we were baptized, did we receive the Holy Ghost? Or did we take for granted that it was placed upon us like a mantle to give it no further thought? Now that we have all of Nephi’s words, have we followed them? He laid out his life for us, giving us a precise pattern to follow that we might be brought to the veil. And now if none of this makes sense, even after Nephi plainly explains to us in his two books, it is because we have not asked or knocked. This is what he tried drilling into Laman and Lemuel’s thick skulls:

6 And it came to pass that after I had received strength I spake unto my brethren, desiring to know of them the cause of their disputations.
7 And they said: Behold, we cannot understand the words which our father hath spoken concerning the natural branches of the olive tree, and also concerning the Gentiles.
8 And I said unto them: Have ye inquired of the Lord?
9 And they said unto me: We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us.
10 Behold, I said unto them: How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord? How is it that ye will perish, because of the hardness of your hearts?
11 Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.

His brothers argued about doctrine. This is something we see often in life. Why? Because we do not inquire of the Lord. And is our faith sufficient to inquire earnestly? Furthermore, are we worthy of further light and knowledge? These are two important factors, as Nephi indicates in 2 Nephi 32. If we have received the Holy Ghost–if we have taken it to be our personal guide; if we have become sanctified, it is because we have put off the natural man. King Benjamin discusses this as well in the book of Mosiah.

We may need to read First and Second Nephi over and over and over again until we see the pattern–until we understand why we are still under condemnation, and how we can have this condemnation removed from us individually.

And why does Nephi write about the Spirit and of Angels and of Christ manifesting Himself in the flesh? Didn’t he experience these things? He is giving us the pattern. He is telling the reader, “what are you waiting for?” If you have entered in by the way, if you have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit and have put off the natural man–in other words, we have absolutely no desire to go back to our old sinful ways. We have no desire to be idle or idolatrous. Monday night football doesn’t mean anything to us anymore. Television, video games and all other worldly time killers seem so meaningless now. By this time, we have experience the Holy Spirit in our lives so profoundly that coming unto Christ becomes our sole desire and our primary pursuit. So Nephi asks us, “what are you waiting for?”

“Have ye inquired of the Lord?”

And if we’re still puzzling about this, read the book of Enos. Read it again.

While we LDS believe in modern day revelations, ministering of angels, and communion with our Savior, do we really believe that it is something available to each of us today? If not, then we have completely missed what Nephi and so many others have tried to teach us. Moroni makes a summary of these teachings in one final effort before sealing up the record, which we read in his seventh and tenth chapters. In chapter seven he gives us the words of his father, Mormon:

Moroni 7

26 And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying:Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you.
27 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?
28 For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.
29 And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men.
…
36 Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved?
37 Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of *unbelief, and all is vain.
38 For no man can be saved, according to the words of Christ, save they shall have faith in his name; wherefore, if these things have ceased, then has faith ceased also; and awful is the state of man, for they are as though there had been no redemption made.
39 But behold, my beloved brethren, I judge better things of you, for I judge that ye have faith in Christ because of your meekness; for if ye have not faith in him then ye are not fit to be numbered among the people of his church.

What? We are not fit to be numbered among the people of Zion? Why not? It is because we have not diligently sought to come unto Christ. Angels call us to repentance, they teach us sacred truths. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to bring us to Christ and if we knock as Enos knocked, it will be opened–the veil will part for us. And Christ will teach us greater things. And He will introduce us to His Father.

This is the pattern. This is what Nephi painstakingly explains to us. This is what he experienced, as did Jacob and Enos, and many others. This is the entire point of of Jacob’s explanation of the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees. We are the fruit of the harvest. This is what Jacob was so excited to teach his people. It’s up to us to follow in their footsteps. This is what the Book of Mormon is about.

Have you experienced miracles in your life? Have you experienced the ministering of angels? Have you heard the Saviors voice? Have you parted the veil and found yourself in His embrace? Have you received the Second Comforter?

Have ye knocked?

Then I would exhort you to go on and continue to call upon God until you make your calling and election sure for yourselves; by obtaining this more sure word of prophecy, and wait patiently for the promise until you obtain it. –Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 299

 

No matter how dirty we get…

17 Saturday Nov 2012

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It was the evening of August 17, 1990 just outside of Ludwigsburg, Germany. I was a young missionary on my way from Tamm to Freiberg on my bike with my companion. A member in our local church had invited us to dinner and we had decided to take a shortcut on a dirt road through many fields. Because of the rains, the dirt roads had apparently become muddier than we had expected as the stuff immediately built up on our tires and fenders to the point where it had become impossible to pedal any farther.

We got off our bikes and tried almost in vain to push our bikes through the deep, slippery mud. My shoes began to feel as if they weighed a ton as the mud built up on them, it had gotten so bad. I had to pick up my bike, lift it in the air and set it down a foot or two ahead of me and take a few steps just to move forward. This process lasted about a half hour. We finally made it down the hill under a twilight sky. Dark clouds raced along as we began to take as much mud off as humanly possible with a stick. After another fifteen minutes, we took off and reached a paved road where there were puddles of water. I took advantage of them by riding slowly to remove as much extra mud as possible.

We arrived at Br. Burger’s home where we enjoyed his hospitality and a nice meal while he sprayed our bikes down in his yard until almost all the mud was gone. That was a very nice gesture, which I had not expected, but welcomed it gladly. After enjoying an evening with his family, we took our leave and raced on our bikes through more fields, but this time on paved roads until we arrived home about twenty minutes later.

There are many roads in life and depending on the choices we make, we can find ourselves stained from the filthy things of the world. Along the way, we learn from our mistakes and we can try to remove those stains ourselves, but there is One who can completely wipe away all of them until we are clean. With Him we can find shelter. When we partake of what He nourishes us with, we will never hunger or thirst again.

A friend shared with me one of his own experiences as missionary, which he has allowed me to share here, which is relevant to the theme of this entry:

“When I started my own journey it was partially motivated by my desire to simply have the Spirit with me more fully. I kept thinking back to my mission and longing for the days that the Spirit was my constant companion. As a result I started by taking a look at the mission rules, incorporating them into my life, then moving forward from there. While this certainly helped something was still missing. After some prayerful pondering I remembered how diligent I had been when it came to service. I took advantage of every opportunity to serve, whether it was my companion, my neighbor or some stranger on the street. I did it with gratitude in my heart, without complaining, even finding similarities between my service and the atonement.

For example. I had a comp that never did his dishes. It drove the rest of us crazy. One day while I was praying I felt prompted to start doing his dishes for him, so I did. The next day, I did the same, simply being obedient to the Spirit. By the end of a week I was getting a little frustrated and I thought, “This guy keeps using the same stuff, getting it dirty everyday, then I clean it. If I keep doing his dishes, he’ll never do them. He has to learn.” As soon as the thought came the Spirit revealed to me the lesson. We are all like the dirty dishes. The moment the Savior cleanses us, we just get dirty all over again. But does He complain or does he simply wash the dishes again? In that moment I learned one of the most poignant lessons of my entire mission, simply by washing dishes.

Anyway, back to service. Surely it should be much easier to serve family and friends rather than some guy you got stuck with for a couple of months! As I have tried to incorporate this back into my life I have felt that this is a vital step in the process. But a warning, if you pray for opportunities to serve, they will most certainly come! Be prepared! But I can honestly say that the selfless act of serving others with a humble and willing heart is one of the most Christlike things we can do in this life.”

Note: My dear wife asked me to state that the above picture is not from our kitchen.

All that glitters

15 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by in Just Marc

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It has been a while since I’ve updated my blog. There has been so much on my mind and it’s not for lack of material, but rather for lack of organizing everything in my mind into bite-sized digestible posts. This year has almost come to a close and I have learned so much and so much has happened to me in this time and in the last few years and I struggle to share everything that I desire to share, but will do so as the Spirit dictates. Perhaps I can save others the heartaches that I endured.

I began chasing wealth at a young age. I thought that wealth was a good litmus test for being blessed and favored of the Lord. I think many Christians think this is true: If I am gainfully employed, providing all the necessities and comforts in life for my family and myself, etc, then it is because I am blessed. To a certain degree, perhaps it is true. I’ve built businesses. I’ve expanded into many cities. I’ve lived in a big house on a hill with a manicured lawn and garden. I’ve spent more money on things that I don’t need than I care to remember. But I was sorely lacking in what mattered most–a personal, real, tangible relationship with the Lord.

It wasn’t until several years ago that I began to feel an inexplicably strong sense of urgency, but for what, I couldn’t tell. But it gnawed at me ceaselessly. I learned through foolish pride that I was paying a price for grand things where moth and rust corrupt–worldly riches. I ignored that still small voice for so long and leaned on my own wisdom. It cost me almost everything.

I no longer chase success. I don’t care for wealth or money. I no longer live in my big, six bedroom home on a hill with a view. I had forgotten to put it all on the alter and as a result, I lost it the hard way. Today after a hard lesson in humility, I realize that God had been answering a prayer I offered over twenty years ago. Let he that hath ears hear. Today I have put everything on the altar. I have sold much of what I own and given away just as much, if not more. I have no need for extra sofas, televisions, bed sets, furniture, etc. I am still in the process of donating more things that I don’t need or use, that I know will help others. I have developed a genuine love for everyone around me. My heart breaks to see someone in pain, someone ignored, someone passed by, someone hungry or naked.

I live in a small home now, just perfect for my needs. I am employed in a very strong company with excellent benefits, I own a small business that earns more than I spend with it and I spend most of my free time volunteering, serving in various capacities and/or studying the scriptures and gospel doctrine. I have learned to let go of the world and all that glitters. I am more wealthy than I ever have been in my life. There are yet unfulfilled promises waiting to be kept. The greatest treasure that man can achieve, if he is willing to put all that he has on the altar of sacrifice and that is eternal life.

To the reader, I ask this: What do you spend your free time doing? Watching football? Offroading? Boating? Playing the latest video games? What are your most prized possessions? Four wheelers? Trophies? That shiny new car on your driveway? Now the real question: Would you give it all away for greater treasures?

One man did. A king:

Alma 22:15  And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.

Indeed the Lamanite king received his greatest desire. And before he died, he did truly give his kingdom away. I realize today that I was compelled to be humble. I was bitter for a small while and I foolishly thought that I was being punished, but in reality, the Lord spent twenty years teaching me a lesson that did not need to take so long to learn at a great cost. But He gives us our freedom to choose. And I chose the world. But He did not forget a sincere desire that I had long forgotten. I won’t spell it out here, but i will leave you with one more scripture from my favorite prophet who walked the path that we all sooner or later follow, if our hearts are true:

2 Nephi 32:4 Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark.
5. For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.
6. Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh. And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do.

I am still learning…

Oh, how lovely was the morning!

22 Monday Oct 2012

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April 10, 2009. It’s just a few weeks into Spring, about the same time that a young teen-aged boy entered this same grove of trees just 190 years before. I knew right away that this was unlike any outdoor hiking trip that I had ever been on and I’ve been on many of them. I’d always felt a wonderful sense of beauty in God’s creation. Being out on a lake fishing or camping in the woods and being ‘one’ with nature, soaking it all in is one thing, but in that grove, maybe this is one time that I couldn’t see the forest for the trees. Some of the oldest trees I walked past might have been mere saplings when Joseph Smith walked the same ground. Only six trees have been identified as being old enough that they were still growing in 1820. These have come to be known as the “Witness Trees.” Still, the feeling was one of utter tranquility, calmness and love.

When I toured the farm, My family and I were the only ones there in our group. The skies were dingy and cloudy and the wind brought intermittent flurries of snow, but that wasn’t going to stop me from walking the grove until I had had my fill. My sister and her family had visited several times before so after a quick walk they went back to the car out of the cold weather. My wife followed soon after. I literally had the grove all to myself and it was such a wonderful experience. I walked through it for what may have been a half hour or so, as I communed with the Lord. I felt that the He was pleased with me and my efforts in life and I also knew that He was mindful of me and my determination to serve Him.

For a little while the clouds cleared up, casting rays of sunlight through, as if the heavens opened up just a little for me. The snow stopped and I took pictures of various scenes, including the sun through the tree tops, still partially covered by clouds. I felt the Holy Spirit stronger in one area of the grove than anywhere else, and I pictured Joseph Smith kneeling there. Perhaps that was the spot that he had once predetermined to visit.

As the trail led me to one of the exits, the clouds began to gather again and the wind began to blow the snow in as if the Lord was personally ushering me out. It was so tranquil and I did not want to leave but my family waited for me in their cars on the other side of the farm. I could feel the world again as I set foot outside the grove, noting for the very first time the sounds of my footsteps on the trail as I exited.

As I walked back to the car on the trail by the farm and the log house, I noted the Palmyra temple across the highway up on a hill. I wonder if Joseph ever saw it in one of his many visions. Talk about the course of the Lord being an eternal round! His work of the restoration continues where it all began! We drove across the highway up to the temple and I stood there looking past the clearing, down at the farm and the grove on the far side. I wonder how many angels attend these hallowed grounds, watching over all those who visit. This will definitely have been the highlight of my vacation.

Replica of Joseph Smith’s home around 1820.The Palmyra Temple, just west of the Smith farm.