Week Two

The chapter of one of the Lord’s most famous sermons begins with two important lines:  “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him…” (Matthew 5:1 emphasis added)  Close your eyes and picture this.  The Lord climbed the mount and once He was set, His disciples came unto Him. He left behind the multitudes and the crowds of people, and walked up the mountain to wait. 

This sermon was meant only for those who were willing to ascend to it.

It was the choice of each individual.  A journey.  One had to come unto Him to receive the lesson ––the journey toward discipleship, the outline for who they might become.  The first sermon of the Sermon on the Mount is the realization that a true disciple must go to the Lord to receive the message.  His disciples ascended the mount to Him, and then He taught.

“To comprehend the works of Christ one must know Him as the son of God.  One must come to Him to see and hear, to feel and know.  The response must be an individual one.” (James Talmage.)

If you want to see and hear, to feel and know, come to Him.  Your response must be an individual one.  The way of the Lord is to teach one by one.

He is set.  He is waiting.  Come. 

Open the scriptures to any book.  Search the chapters, read through the verses.  He is set, come to Him.  The stories of Jesus are filled with these one on one teaching moments.  In my minds eye I see them. 

A Samaritan woman approaches a man sitting at a well.  She comes to Him.  The moment is spent in conversation that leads to conversion prompting her to leave behind her water pot to bring others back to Him. 

Sixteen clear stones molten out of rock.   Carried in work worn hands to the top of the mount.  One with great faith asking the Lord to touch the stones, to prepare them to shine forth in the dark.  And “the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger.” (Ether 3:6)  First there was faith, and then pure knowledge.  Touched. One by one. 

Twelve men in an upper room.  Dusty, thirsty, tired.  His last supper, and they came to Him.  Humble, the Servant rose from supper, took a towel, and began to wash the disciples’ feet.  Tenderly.  One by one.

A man who was blind, a daughter who lay dying, the centurion’s servant.  It was always about the individual.  To love the one. 

And again, in the midst of the great multitude, who when they beheld Him, ran to Him.  And “one of the multitude” brought unto Him his son.  One of the multitude.  One. “I have brought unto thee my son.” (Mark 9:17) 

In the darkest hours they would seek Him.  Remember Nicodemus, Ruler of the Jews.  “The same came to Jesus by night”…saying “Rabbi, we know that thou are a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him…How can these things be?” (John 3:2&9)  The same came to Jesus.  

“And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do…what lack I yet?”  One came and He answered privately, Savior and friend.  “Come and follow me.” (Matthew 19:21)

No matter where we are in our journey, one thing is certain ––there will be hours where we need strength beyond our own, miracles within the ordinary moments, blessings that only He can give.

To know Him as the Son of God.

To see and hear.  To feel and know.

The response must be an individual one.

He is set…come to Him.

Ponder This…

Elder Bednar has frequently counseled that we need to act and not simply be acted upon.  The journey to Discipleship, this journey to become His, will be life changing only to the extent we allow it to be.  It will require us to ascend to a higher level.  We will need to leave the multitude and the crowd and come to Him.  It is only under those conditions that we will hear the message.

Come unto Him.  The message is so familiar.  In every single journey it is always the first step.  Always.

He is set…come to Him.  

This week try to study some examples from the scriptures on how Christ taught on an individual basis.  One by one.  How He rescued one by one.

What can you learn from His example about rescuing?

Week One

As we come to know more about the life of Francis Webster we will learn that the theme of his life was to rescue.  Through the journey leading up to this next walk, we hope to study what it really means to rescue.  This is the first of many thoughts on this topic, and it comes with an invitation…

Ours is a mission to rescue.  It has always been so, and remains true today ––there are those who need what we have to offer.  But sometimes I wonder if we realize just what it is we have to offer as we reach out to rescue those in need.

One afternoon the Savior was teaching in a home. Having heard that the Savior was teaching there, a group of men brought their friend who lay sick with palsy on a bed.  The home was full, and the doorway was crowded.  It didn’t take long before the four men realized they were not going to be able to get inside.  But the men didn’t give up.  The scriptures tell us, “they sought means to bring him in,” and to lay him before the Lord. (Luke 5:18)  Giving up was not an option.  Their intent was to bring their friend to Christ.

So, they came up with a plan.  “They went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.”  (Luke 5:19)  Now, stop and consider this for a minute.  How did the four men get that man and his couch onto the roof?  It couldn’t have been easy.  There must have been a ladder involved and a lot of thought.  Who would hold the man on the couch?  There must have been someone on the roof to lift, and someone down below to support.  There must have been someone who would be willing to add strength as the man ascended to the roof.  Consider those four assignments ––to lift, to support, to hold, and to strengthen.  Now, we must also keep in mind that the roof was not the final destination.  Once they got on the roof there was more work to be done.  In Mark 2 we learn that the roof had to be uncovered and broken up.  That must have required a lot of effort. 

Sometimes when I read this chapter I stop and ask myself, to what lengths would I go to bring a friend to Christ?

Once they had lowered the man carefully into the room where Jesus was, a very interesting conversation took place.  Both accounts in the New Testament phrase this conversation exactly the same way.  We read, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” (Mark 2:5 emphasis added.)  Take note of the word their.  Whose faith is the Savior talking about?  The line doesn’t read, “When Jesus saw his faith…” it reads, “When Jesus saw their faith.”  Is He talking about the four friends?  The ones who lifted, supported, held onto, and strengthened their friend?  Was it through both the great lengths of their effort and the great faith of these friends that the Lord was able to heal this man?  Is the same true today?

There is much we can learn about rescuing from this story.  First, we must consider the true intent of the four men.  They, in and of themselves, could not heal this man.  They could not fix the ailment.  They could not tell the man what to believe, or how to live his life.  Their responsibility was simple and yet profound ––their only responsibility was to bring their friend to Christ.  They were not the healers or the teachers, but they could bring their friend to the One who could heal, to the one who could teach.  That would require faith.  It would also require lifting, supporting, strengthening, and holding on. 

Sometimes I think we get confused.  We become so intent on fixing the problem ourselves, we don’t allow the Savior to do what He is best at ––saving.  Many years ago I was driving to the temple.  My heart was filled to bursting with heavy thoughts.  I had a sister whose family was carrying a heavy emotional burden that they didn’t have strength to bear.  We had gathered as a family to offer strength and support, but we couldn’t fix the situation for them, and that was heartbreaking.  My sister-in-law had called the day before to say that her husband had lost his job and that they were certain to lose their home.  She didn’t know what to do.  Oh, how I longed to be able to come up with a solution that would fix that problem, but I couldn’t.  I also had a dear friend who was struggling with a problem that had the potential to destroy her life and her family.  We had prayed and fasted together, and yet I knew deep within my heart I did not have the knowledge that would be needed to fix the challenge she was facing.  I was discouraged and I walked into the temple that morning with a heart that was heavy.

The temple was busy, so as I waited I turned to the scriptures hoping to find some counsel I could use in any of the situations I had been praying about.  I turned to D&C 76 and read, “Hear, O yea heavens, and give ear, O earth, and rejoice ye inhabitants thereof, for the Lord is God, and beside him there is no Savior.   Great is his wisdom, marvelous are his ways, and the extent of his doings none can find out.  His purposes fail not, neither are there any who can stay his hand.”  (D&C 76:1-3 emphasis added.) 

Immediately I knew what I needed to do.  My responsibility was not to fix the burdens these families were carrying; my responsibility was to help bring them to Christ.  I could not save them, but He could. I knew the Savior would know what to do ––He would know how to help heal their hearts, He could teach them and send them in the direction they needed to go.  His purpose would not fail and His hand would not be stayed.  Through His great wisdom and His marvelous ways He would do what was right in their life.  I could lift, support, strengthen, help them to hold on, and I could add my faith.  The Savior would do the rest.

The greatest form of rescue is to lead someone closer to the Lord.  We can do that by sharing what we know of Him from the feelings within our hearts.  Have you ever noticed that when you spend time with someone who loves the Lord, you come to know the Lord a little better?  Somehow we come to better understand what He teaches, to feel how He loves, and we even come to know His heart because we have come to know their heart. 

The invitation…

This week prayerful consider someone in your life who could use a rescue.   What might you do for them in the next few weeks leading up to this walk?  Remember, our job is not to fix someone’s life, or to save them from where they are…that is the Savior’s job.  Our job requires faith, lifting, supporting, strengthening, and holding on in some form or another as we lead them closer to Him.

This invitation is extended individually.  Together, you and the Lord can decide what it is you might do.  How will you lift?  How might you strengthen?  How could you support?  Do you know someone carrying a burden so heavy that you might help them hold on for a time? 

This rescue can take place in any way you would like.  You might do temple work for someone in your family.  This could require finding a name, and following through to make sure all of the work is finished by Sept. 24.   You may know of someone who could use an 11 week spiritual journey, and invite them to join us.  Perhaps you know someone who you could secretly serve once a week for the next 11 weeks.  Could you share your testimony?  Write a letter?  Visit someone who needs a friend? 

What will your rescue entail?  How might lifting, supporting, strengthening, or holding on play a role?  How will your faith lead someone who is need of a rescue closer to the Lord?  To what lengths might you go to bring a friend to Christ?

The Tesimony of Francis Webster

I heard a testimony once that made me tingle to the roots of my hair. It was in an adult Sunday School class of over fifty men and women. Nathan T. Porter, then Principal of the Branch Normal School, was the teacher and the subject under discussion was the ill fated hand cart company that suffered so terribly in the snow in 1856.

Some sharp criticism of the church and its leaders was being indulged in for permitting any company of converts to venture across the Plains with no more supplies or protection than a handcart carravan afforded.

One old man in the corner sat silent and listened as long as he could stand it then he arose and said things that no person who heard him will ever forget. His face was white with emotion, yet he spoke calmly, deliberately, but with great earnestness and sincerity.

He said in substance, “I ask you to stop this criticism. You are discussing a matter you know nothing about. Cold historic facts mean nothing here for they give no proper interpretation of the questions involved. Mistake to send the Hand Cart Company out so late in the season? Yes. But I was in that Company and my wife was in it and Sister Nellie Unthank whom you have sited was there too. We suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and starvation, but did you ever hear a survivor of that company utter a word of criticism? Not one of that company ever apostatized or left the church because everyone of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities.

“I have pulled my hand cart when I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope and I have said I can go only that far and there I must give up for I cannot pull the load through it. I have gone on to that sand and when I reached it the cart began pushing me. I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the Angels of God were there.

“Was I sorry that I chose to come by hand cart? No. Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Hand Cart Company.”

The speaker was Francis Webster and when he sat down there was not a dry eye in the room. We were a subdued and chastened lot. Charles R. Mabey who later became Governor of Utah, arose and voiced the sentiment of all when he said, “I would gladly pay the same price for the same assurance of the eternal verities that Brother Webster has.” Francis Webster, perhaps, more than any other man had reason to thank the Almighty for his protecting care.

(Palmer, radio address)

Training Schedule for "The Rescue" Challenge

                   Mon         Tues         Wed            Thurs         Fri          Sat

Week 7/11  rest          4 miles      3 miles        4 miles        rest        5 miles

Week 7/18  rest          4 miles      3 miles        4 miles        rest        4 miles

Week 7/25  rest          4 miles      3 miles        4 miles        rest        5 miles

Week 8/1    rest          4 miles      3 miles        4 miles        rest        8 miles

Week 8/8    rest          4 miles      3 miles        5 miles        rest        6 miles

Week 8/15  rest          4 miles      3 miles        5 miles        rest        8 miles

Week 8/22  rest         4 miles      3 miles         6 miles        rest      10 miles

Week 8/29  rest          4 miles      3  miles       6 miles        rest      7 miles

Week 9/5    rest          4 miles      3 miles        4 miles        rest      10 miles

Week 9/12  rest          3 miles      2 miles       3 miles        rest        8 miles

Week 9/19  rest          3 miles       2 miles        20 min.       rest     20 min.

Setpember 24     THE DAY!!!!    17 miles!!

An Invitation...

The beginning of this year was filled with thoughts of Brother Moyle.  Sacrifice.  Consecration.  Holiness to the Lord.  Step by step we grew to understand the meaning behind the phrase “John would go.”  Now that simple phrase has become part of who we are.

The latter part of the year is now upon us.  My mind is filled with thoughts of Francis Webster.  Service.  Rescue.  The price some pay to become acquainted with God.  Step by step I want to come to understand the meaning behind the phrase “Francis would rescue.”  I want that phrase to become part of who I am. 

And so we are extending another invitation.  This invitation includes a kick off event.  12 weeks of preparation.  A 17-mile walk.  (Yes…just 17 miles this time.  Easy.)  What is it in honor of?  You will ask.  Francis Webster, and a 17-mile journey he took on September 15, 1856.

You might know Francis Webster better than you think.  He is the man from the Willie Martin handcart company who stood at the back of a Sunday School room and bore testimony that the price he paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay.

But there is a testimony within that testimony that you might not know about…

“Although Webster’s statement is well known, the real story behind the words he spoke that Sunday long ago is generally unknown.  In its place has arisen a common perception that the price he paid to gain his powerful testimony simply involved pulling a handcart and enduring the hardships of an early winter. The lesson at the heart of his statement, however, goes beyond having to endure the cold and snow that all in the company experienced. This lesson involves his willingness to travel a harder path than simply pulling a handcart. It speaks to the fact that at several points along the journey that took him from England to Utah he made choices that led him onto the road less traveled. His testimony is evidence that, in the final analysis, these choices indeed made a great difference in his life.  (Chad Orton)

We invite you to journey with us on this road less traveled.  To travel a harder path.  To come to understand the lesson at the heart of Francis Webster’s statement.  This lesson will include service, and rescue, and will lead you to prepare your heart for the October General Conference in a way you might not have before.

We have come to love Brother Moyle.  Now we invite you to prepare your heart to come to love Francis Webster.  “The life of Francis Webster was so full of useful and unselfish effort, and the scope of his endeavors was so wide and diversified that it is difficult to boil his life story down... Man of superlative faith, man of action, man of sterling dependability his place is secure among the honored pioneers of Southern Utah.” (Palmer)

This will be a year many of us will never forget.  We have made memories and learned life lessons that will be forever imprinted on our minds and hearts.  This year we have followed the counsel of one of our great prophets… “Stories of the beleaguered Saints and of their suffering and death will be repeated again and again. … Stories of their rescue need to be repeated again and again. They speak of the very essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ…I will never get over being thankful to them; I hope you never get over being thankful to them. I hope that we will always remember them. … Let us read again and again, and read to our children or our children’s children, the accounts of those who suffered so much” (Gordon B. Hinckley)

Mark Your Calendar:  September 24, 2011 A Journey Celebrating the Life of Francis Webster.  Story and training schedule are below - More details to follow…