The Gum Tree for 2005 October

Last weekend was trip time for me. I went to Ruston for the first time in two whole months to see Louise. It was a very good trip for the both of us, and we feel very good about how we are both progressing. It has been almost insufferable, however, but we have many more weekend visits to come. The next is scheduled for the 15th of Oct. We are both coming to San Antonio for one of my interviews there. We will spend about four or five days there visiting family celebrating Louise’s Birthday in some way, and going to the Temple. I plan on going to the Leon Valley Ward because I want to see all the old friends there. We also want to visit with the Curtis’s (a couple we knew in Provo—the husband is going to graduate school there) in that ward. Life is so busy that it is hard to make plans with others, however, because Louise and I are mostly just interested in spending any time we have with each other.

It was also wonderful watching conference with Louise last weekend. We both had a wonderful time. I also visited the wood shop class where Louise is fabricating her very own black walnut hope chest. It looks very good already even though I only saw the lid and base.

Life here in West Plains moves along. I have signed a contract to become a seminary teacher--full time and committed, and I am finding the difficulties and challenges that come with that calling. For example, there is one boy who is supposed to be in my class who lives very far. His dad was a computer programmer who made a very good salary, but who quit his job and moved into a small country shack out in the middle of nowhere. The place where they moved used to be a meth lab shanty, and the young man who I am entrusted to teach probably has the reading level of a 3rd grader (being 15 years old). The father “home schools” him and claims his son loves it, but I fail to see any “home” or “schooling” going on. My student’s bedroom is the back seat of a broke down car, and it is a miracle that he didn’t die from exposure last winter. I can tell that he would give anything to come to seminary (as well as public school), but there are significant challenges standing in the way. This is one of the challenges that I face, and sadly it isn’t the only one. I can do some real good, however, if I am able to find a way to help inspire and illuminate these young, pliable, neglected minds.

Yesterday was an atypical day at church. I have been in wards that were dysfunctional before, but for some reason I am much more bothered by it right now. On a good note, I had a good time in sunday school. The lesson was lesson 37 or 38 I think--the one about ("In My Own Way") preparing spiritually and temporally. Now, normally I don't make too many comments in Sunday School--content to sit on the side, but this time I was quite riled up. It didn’t help that I have been pondering the ideas of selfishness, self-interest, pride, and enmity quite a bit in the last couple of months.

Well, after a cursory touch on the subject of spiritual preparation we plunged right into the topic of temporal preparations—including not getting into debt, getting a years food storage, learning how to work hard, getting an education, and so on.

I could have stayed quiet even suffering to hear the overemphasis on temporal preparation, but the straw that broke the back of the camel was the spurious and sensational comments that were being made. There was a conspiracy theory that accompanied every point. Credit card companies will raise your rates to 40% if you miss even one payment!!!!! The government has laws that could send you to PRISON if THEY find that you have food storage!!!! They won’t let the MORMONS into PRIVATE SCHOOLS!!!!!!

That is when I piped up and said that the issue at stake here is Spiritual Preparation and Development FIRST, and then everything will follow. Once a person has learned the gospel and consecrated her life to the building up of the kingdom, and then all temporal things will be provided. I then said that we need to need to learn how to work, but we need to learn how to do the RIGHT kind of work—citing the scriptures that say “if you seek riches, seek first the kingdom of God and then if you desire riches you will have them—to do good” I made the point that we know that the first thing we do after getting paid is to take out 10% for tithing, but when we decide what to do on a Sunday afternoon, or what career to choose, or what to study in school—spiritual things are rarely the first thing to consider for the majority of us.

Our Teacher commented “that is true, but you need to make sure that you are healthy and taken care of first or you won’t be able to care for your family or others.”

BALONEY!! I said that is the greatest lie that Satan has told us. He askes us if we have any money and then tells us that everything in this world is had for money, and since he is the God of this world and therefore the economy of this world, then you have to work for him in order to live. And you will work hard for him because if you don’t—then you won’t get your lunch. There is NO free lunch. Everybody agrees on that—Socialist, Capitalist, Catholic and Jew. If we need to be educated then he will teach us—the philosophies of men, and show us the way to get money through his system to help others. He shows us a fork in the wrong road and then points out the higher way in the wrong road. What should I study in School? Well it is the bread and butter subjects that really matter—after all I need to provide for a family don’t I. No pie in the sky for me, pie in the bakery store is the only thing that we will ever hope to get.

Not many people were convinced. I had this same dialogue with Mom, and the interviewer at UTMB—Galveston.

Anyways, I need to get to work.

Since when was it a radical idea that things which were so antithetical to our American heritage that they were criminalized for over 200 years, should remain in the hands of The People to decide to throw it out of our lawbooks or not?

Oh, I guess that idea started when the Dred Scott case was decided LEGALIZING SLAVERY in all of the states of the Union.

Such is the usurper's way of doing things in the courts.