My brother's thoughts
My brother just posted the most amazing blog entry on myspace, and I think I'm just going to post it on here for you all to enjoy. It's quite religious, just so you know.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
To All My Friends Who Have Left, or The Story of Elder Lance Lash
Category: Religion and Philosophy
I can't sleep tonight. The moon was shining in my face and my mind was racing, thinking about so many different things. I should be sleeping right now, resting up for things I have to do for school and work tomorrow, but I felt like I needed to type this.
Sunday night, I had the privilege to go to the missionary farewell of my friend, Lance Lash. He reports to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah tomorrow and will serve in the Tempe, Arizona mission Spanish Speaking. The farewell was one of the most humbling and spiritually uplifting things I have ever witnessed. Imagine for a moment, a tall, slender, quiet and shy Lance getting up to speak behind the pulpit. For several moments he was quiet. The chapel was filled with around 200 people, many of his family and friends (many who were there hadn't been to church for years). As he stood there looking out on all of those there in the congregation, he started crying. For several moments, thats all he did. It was one of the most touching things I've witnessed in quite a while. He didn't say a word for several minutes..he just cried.
There he gave an account of his past, and what he had endured leading up to deciding on going on a mission. Without going too far into detail about his past, I will say that after he got out of high school, Lance had strayed from the church and from his faith. He said that there was a moment about a year and a half ago when he had fallen on really hard times, and didn't know what to do. It had been several years since he had prayed or even read the scriptures. He hadn't been to church in several years. He felt ashamed, and even unworthy to kneel down and pray to God for help. He stated that he knew that he wasn't living the way that the Lord wanted him to, and that he needed help. Lance is one of the quietest people you will ever meet, and so to hear him explain all of this, it is really an amazing thing. It was then that he began his journey back. He felt like he needed help, so without telling anyone, he began to pray and read and study. When his friends would come over, he said he would hide his scriptures..not because he was ashamed of them, but because he was ashamed at the way he was living at the time.
As he told us about his repentance process, I thought to myself that it takes a lot of courage to do that. It takes real strength to face the trials of life head on and admit when you aren't living the way that you should. How many times have I avoided repentance because I was too ashamed to admit that I had even done anything wrong? Or how many times have I been afraid of the consequences that might come if the knowledge of my actions became known? I also learned from Lance that its never to late to come back. Its hard, and it takes swallowing some pride and changing your life, but its possible. The Lord loves you, and he wants all of his children to return back to his presence. He will help you. Lance is proof.
Watching Lance made me think about all of my friends that I grew up with that are no longer attending church. There are times that it really hurts to think about all those that no longer attend church or who have strayed from obeying the commandments. Sometimes I check up on my friends by using myspace or facebook or whatever, and when I see the kinds of things that my friends growing up are doing these days, it makes me sad to see the decisions they have made. I wish there was some way I could help them. Happiness is never found in the things of the world. True happiness is obeying the commandments. Everything else is temporary, but the happiness the gospel brings is everlasting. There is no doubt.
When I came home from my mission in Argentina, it killed me to see that so many of my friends had fallen away while I was gone. Our large group of friends in the church that we had before had fallen one by one...the same group that helped each other out, and strengthened one another all through our teenage years. When I decided to move to Huntsville to go to school, one of my main concerns about leaving (and I spoke with the bishop about this) was that a part of me felt like I needed to stay in Florence to help my friends so that they would be strong in the gospel. I felt like I could be an influence for good in their lives, but Bishop Stevens helped me out and said that many times you have to experience life somewhere else and gain knowledge away from home, and then if you decide to come back, you'll be that much more of a help when you return. Thats what I decided to do.
Now that I'm almost done with school, I'm itching to go back home. I so want to go back. Even though I know real estate sales is not that great over there like it is over here in Huntsville, I feel like the Lord is pushing me to move back. I know that if I do what he wants me to do, I'll be taken care of financially. I feel like I need to go get them and bring them back.
Now, I know that many people won't read this far down in my blog since its so long, but to all of you guys that aren't there at church anymore, please know that at least one person genuinely does miss you...and wishes you'd come back. The gospel of Christ is true.. repentance and forgiveness, although difficult..is worth it. You know this, and have felt the whisperings of the Holy Ghost in the past telling you that it is true. And so, to all you who I grew up with that have gone down other paths, please come back. I won't name names, but you know who you are. If you need help, I am here and willing to help any way I can.
I wanted to post it b/c it says alot of the same things that I've felt before, and he words it so well. That's all for now. I think he said it all.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
To All My Friends Who Have Left, or The Story of Elder Lance Lash
Category: Religion and Philosophy
I can't sleep tonight. The moon was shining in my face and my mind was racing, thinking about so many different things. I should be sleeping right now, resting up for things I have to do for school and work tomorrow, but I felt like I needed to type this.
Sunday night, I had the privilege to go to the missionary farewell of my friend, Lance Lash. He reports to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah tomorrow and will serve in the Tempe, Arizona mission Spanish Speaking. The farewell was one of the most humbling and spiritually uplifting things I have ever witnessed. Imagine for a moment, a tall, slender, quiet and shy Lance getting up to speak behind the pulpit. For several moments he was quiet. The chapel was filled with around 200 people, many of his family and friends (many who were there hadn't been to church for years). As he stood there looking out on all of those there in the congregation, he started crying. For several moments, thats all he did. It was one of the most touching things I've witnessed in quite a while. He didn't say a word for several minutes..he just cried.
There he gave an account of his past, and what he had endured leading up to deciding on going on a mission. Without going too far into detail about his past, I will say that after he got out of high school, Lance had strayed from the church and from his faith. He said that there was a moment about a year and a half ago when he had fallen on really hard times, and didn't know what to do. It had been several years since he had prayed or even read the scriptures. He hadn't been to church in several years. He felt ashamed, and even unworthy to kneel down and pray to God for help. He stated that he knew that he wasn't living the way that the Lord wanted him to, and that he needed help. Lance is one of the quietest people you will ever meet, and so to hear him explain all of this, it is really an amazing thing. It was then that he began his journey back. He felt like he needed help, so without telling anyone, he began to pray and read and study. When his friends would come over, he said he would hide his scriptures..not because he was ashamed of them, but because he was ashamed at the way he was living at the time.
As he told us about his repentance process, I thought to myself that it takes a lot of courage to do that. It takes real strength to face the trials of life head on and admit when you aren't living the way that you should. How many times have I avoided repentance because I was too ashamed to admit that I had even done anything wrong? Or how many times have I been afraid of the consequences that might come if the knowledge of my actions became known? I also learned from Lance that its never to late to come back. Its hard, and it takes swallowing some pride and changing your life, but its possible. The Lord loves you, and he wants all of his children to return back to his presence. He will help you. Lance is proof.
Watching Lance made me think about all of my friends that I grew up with that are no longer attending church. There are times that it really hurts to think about all those that no longer attend church or who have strayed from obeying the commandments. Sometimes I check up on my friends by using myspace or facebook or whatever, and when I see the kinds of things that my friends growing up are doing these days, it makes me sad to see the decisions they have made. I wish there was some way I could help them. Happiness is never found in the things of the world. True happiness is obeying the commandments. Everything else is temporary, but the happiness the gospel brings is everlasting. There is no doubt.
When I came home from my mission in Argentina, it killed me to see that so many of my friends had fallen away while I was gone. Our large group of friends in the church that we had before had fallen one by one...the same group that helped each other out, and strengthened one another all through our teenage years. When I decided to move to Huntsville to go to school, one of my main concerns about leaving (and I spoke with the bishop about this) was that a part of me felt like I needed to stay in Florence to help my friends so that they would be strong in the gospel. I felt like I could be an influence for good in their lives, but Bishop Stevens helped me out and said that many times you have to experience life somewhere else and gain knowledge away from home, and then if you decide to come back, you'll be that much more of a help when you return. Thats what I decided to do.
Now that I'm almost done with school, I'm itching to go back home. I so want to go back. Even though I know real estate sales is not that great over there like it is over here in Huntsville, I feel like the Lord is pushing me to move back. I know that if I do what he wants me to do, I'll be taken care of financially. I feel like I need to go get them and bring them back.
Now, I know that many people won't read this far down in my blog since its so long, but to all of you guys that aren't there at church anymore, please know that at least one person genuinely does miss you...and wishes you'd come back. The gospel of Christ is true.. repentance and forgiveness, although difficult..is worth it. You know this, and have felt the whisperings of the Holy Ghost in the past telling you that it is true. And so, to all you who I grew up with that have gone down other paths, please come back. I won't name names, but you know who you are. If you need help, I am here and willing to help any way I can.
I wanted to post it b/c it says alot of the same things that I've felt before, and he words it so well. That's all for now. I think he said it all.