Protected by the Holy Spirit

In November of 1997, I had been serving as Bishopric first councilor in the Flagstaff Fourth ward with Bishop Norman Mayes when he was released and I was called to serve as bishop. Because bishops have many occasions to go to the Stake Center for meetings, interviews, and so forth, Bishop Mayes told me it did not take long to travel from the Linda Vista meetinghouse to the Stake Center, so, I could continue whatever I was doing at the Linda Vista building, up until shortly before I was due over there. After I had been serving as bishop for a while I mentioned to Janet “I don’t know how he did it, it takes me a lot longer to drive over to the Stake center for meetings than Bishop Mayes said it would take. He told me he can get over there in seven minutes, but the best time I have had is nine minutes.” With a bit of amusement showing in her eyes, and evident in her voice, Janet replied “He said it takes eleven minutes to get there not seven.” I guess I had been making better time than I thought! Also, I wonder, did my hearing also suffer way back then? I know I miss too much of what I could hear these days. I share the previous story to illustrate how I have sometimes been while driving, trying to make the best time I can, almost always feeling like I am in too much of a hurry to be a safe, careful driver. One of my tendencies has been to try and better the time predicted by the GPS technology put to work. Janet, on more than one occasion, has accused me of “Using up our (allotment of) blessings on your driving”. On the afternoon of Jan 30th 2022, Janet and I had been attending worship services at the Limon branch of the Church where we usually attend meetings on Sundays, due to our current assignments. We typically enjoy eating a bit of something on the way home. Before leaving, Janet offered a prayer of thanks for the food we had and asked for our safety as we traveled home. Our West bound drive home from Limon on Hwy 24 was an unusually pleasant day for the date. The road was dry, the sun was shining, no precipitation, and very little breeze. While traveling on this country highway, between Ramah and Calhan, a Fed EX delivery van pulled out of a private driveway onto the road ahead of us. Moving along about 60 miles per hour we quickly caught up to the delivery vehicle. My usual inclination is to quickly go around such annoyances, but I felt a clear message in my thoughts which caught my attention, a quiet whisper advised me, “You are not in any hurry right now, just slow down, and stay behind this van”. I reduced speed and followed a safe distance behind. Very shortly, in the East bound lane, an approaching 18-wheeler, big rig drifted into our lane and was on a direct collision course. Its bulk quickly bearing down on both the delivery van and our car following it. The Fed EX truck reduced speed and pulled to the right onto the highway shoulder. I applied brakes and did the same, preparing, if needed, to drive off of the right side of the road and down the embankment. Just before the big rig got to the Fed EX van, it began pulling back toward its correct lane allowing us enough room to proceed unharmed. I knew at that moment a deadly accident had been avoided. Had I not heeded the prompting, and stayed behind the delivery van, we would have been further down the road, located directly in the path of the oncoming truck. At the least we would have been forced off of the road at a high rate of speed. I know we were protected as Janet asked for in the prayer before leaving Limon and I am grateful for the clearness of the prompting to stay behind. This experience is similar to another saving prompting. When our Children were young, about 1990, we were traveling to a family campout on a dark rainy Friday night. The rain was not heavy but it was steady and reduced visibility. We were traveling South from Flagstaff on Lake Mary Road toward a camping area near Blue Ridge Reservoir where we were going to enjoy some time with Janet’s side of the family. Like many times before I had worked late so we were getting a night-time start. With the delayed start I was pushing the safety limits. The wet road reflected light from our headlights as well as oncoming traffic increasing the challenge to clearly see ahead and be safe. Not far out of Flagstaff a very clear unmistakable image crossed my mind. The Image was of our car in the midst of a herd of deer. What I saw was a still image, but in the picture, the deer were in front of, on both sides, and jumping over our car’s hood. It was so stirring, I immediately slowed down because the impression I received was we would be in an accident if I did not respond. A very short distance later, rounding a bend in the road, I saw in the headlights ahead, a herd of deer running across the road and I calculated we would have been in their midst if I had not reduced speed. In both of these instances, we were clearly protected by revelation. I seek to always be as responsive in following the quiet directives of the Spirit of God. Not only for physical safety but also to be on whatever errand God intends for me. May we all follow the Spirit as we actively participate in the work of Gathering Israel.

Consecration at Home

Growing up as one of the younger children in our home of fourteen children, I was raised by goodly parents who taught the gospel in our home long before “home centered, and church supported” was a common phrase. I learned to share and live the principles of consecration[i]in our home. I learned the words of prophets, we read scriptures, we heard and bore testimonies, and we practiced living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Work was a large part of the culture of our household. Other than occasional youthful escapes, if we were not at school, we were working at home, providing service for a neighbor, occasionally serving at the Stake Welfare Farm, or on a job for hire. We always had plenty of work to do at home, but when an opportunity for employment outside of our household was acquired, it helped our family to meet the demands of expenses. I remember the first time I worked for someone outside of our home for wages. The Carlson’s who owned Carlson’s Dry cleaning in Roosevelt hired me to do yard work. For a few weeks after school, when I believe I was in 7th grade, I would walk from the Jr. High school to their home and Sister Carlson would give me a snack. I would be treated with cookies or a sandwich and a cup of milk or juice, then I would mow, rake, trim, weed, etc. The snacks themselves were near payment enough and the privilege of using a gas-powered mower, which we did not have at home, was fun for me. Working for 50 cents an hour, after a few weeks, I received a paycheck for what I think was about $15.00. I took the check home and gave it to mother. It must have been a Friday because at the same suppertime together I remember others of my siblings also giving their earnings to our folks. I do not remember having any thoughts of doing anything else with the money than what I did. It was how business was conducted in our household. When any of us earned anything, from our parents on down, tithes and offerings were always paid, and the balance was used for the benefit of the whole. That evening when I turned over my first earnings, I remember father expressing gratitude to all of the family for each one doing their part to support the needs of the family. I felt joy and a sense of belonging. It made me feel like a valued contributor and one with the family. We each humbly helped the family, which in turn built our self-esteem, confidence, mutual appreciation, and love for one another. When someone needed shoes, a few dollars for a date, or something else, money sufficient for our needs, but never enough for extravagance, was made available. I dare say most of the time, the way our finances were shared in our household was consistent with the law of consecration. There is nothing I could have bought with my earnings, or any amount of money which would have been more valuable than the blessings received from learning and living principles of consecration at home. [i] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/tg/consecration?lang=eng