Update

Almost all of my writing time has been devoted to working on a book, so I've chosen to let my blogs go until I'm done (probably in April).

Yesterday, though, I decided to start writing a tweet most days: I'll post scripture-related ones on this blog periodically.

What sorcery? --Morm 1: 18-19

"And these Gadianton robbers, who were among the Lamanites, did infest the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof began to hide up their treasures in the earth; and they became slippery, because the Lord had cursed the land, that they could not hold them, nor retain them again.
And it came to pass that there were sorceries, and witchcrafts, and magics; and the power of the evil one was wrought upon all the face of the land, even unto the fulfilling of all the words of Abinadi, and also Samuel the Lamanite."

In the generations after Jesus had come, people learned that certain plants were not to be cultivated or their powers concentrated, but the first wicked generation strayed in part because the rediscovered the effects of those plants.

And the Gadiantion robbers taught that if a man took an elixir from one plant, he would feel great power, and if he took an elixir of another, he could see visions, and if he took yet another, he could forget the guilt of every wrong he'd done.

But those who craved this false atonement and false Spirit grew deep pits in their bowels that made them a desperate sort of thirsty so that they always needed more and more of the elixirs and were willing to do more and more to get them.

And so it was that every man's treasure became slippery, as those who became living ghosts because of the elixir watched with one-sighted eyes for anything they could use to obtain more from those who knew the plants and the strongest ways to distill their essence into a liquid sort of gold.

Believing without Seeing --Luke 7: 6-9

"Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:

Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.

For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." (Luke 7: 6-9)

There was also once a certain man, an American, who came to Jesus and said "Forgive me for my sins!" And Jesus said to him, "what did you do?" And the man said "I haven't broken any of the commandments or trespassed the law in any way, but whenever I burn oil, a child got sick from its well first in Nigeria, and the air conditioning I use for simple comfort strains the resources some yet-unborn grandson of mine might need to care for his wife and children." And Jesus said, "I haven't seen faith like that in Israel either, faith in the power of things you don't see."

Cool Video--Luke 10:33-35

"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee."

I had a chance, between graduation at BYU and my return as an adjunct, to grow out my beard quickly and help out acting in a short church film of the Good Samaritan story. We shot at a very cool site near Goshen, UT: an old stone structure there made the director think of some abandoned building a scrappy man might have been able to make an inn out of. It looked really beautiful as the sun set, and since unlike the Samaritan, I didn't have to carry anyone up stone stairs, I could enjoy that.

The video is posted online now at the bottom of the page of the church's call for actors for further New Testament video projects which will be shooting this spring. It's five minutes or so and well worth watching. You should also pass on the call for actors/extras to anyone who might be a good fit.

The grey is added and I have age make-up:
the script calls for someone in his forties who
"looks worn out." It describes the innkeeper
as "chief cook and bottle-washer." It was sort
of a relief when they decided to age me--when
I got cast, I figured that meant I was looking
worn-out enough all ready to make up being
thirteen years shy of forty!

Best posts for a book?

I'm currently compiling some of my Mormon-themed short stories, essays, poems, plays, screenwriting, and criticism into a book draft. I'm not entirely sure who would print the book yet, but I'm pretty sure at least a few hundred people would buy it.

I'd like to include a brief section with maybe ten of the short pieces in this blog. Any suggestions on which of these "midrashim" would be best for a book?

Reed -- Ps. 27: 4

"One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple." (Ps. 27: 4)

When I was 18, I visited the Orem, UT ward I'd grown up in for the first time in six years. Those six years had changed a lot: a tight subdivision of condos had replaced what used to be orchards at the end of the once-dead-end street I grew up on, so the ward had a lot of new people I didn't know. Also: I was at least a foot taller and had grown long hair and beard, which made the child in me a little hard to notice on an impromptu visit.

The first person to recognize me, despite all the differences, was my childhood friend Reed. Most of my old friends had moved away to college by then, but Reed has Down Syndrome and still lived with his parents. The beard and hair didn't fool him one bit: he knew me on the very first glance, whispered across the chapel "James!"

A few years later, I got word that Reed was serving a church service mission and wrote him a letter. He wrote back. I didn't talk to him for quite a while after that, but would think of him sometimes, tell my wife about him when we'd pass my old neighborhood.

Today, I went to the church distribution store to pick up some things for my younger brother, who is currently in the Missionary Training Center. A man in the store looked like Reed's dad, but I shrugged it off as nostalgia playing with my perceptions. But then next to him was Reed, and I knew Reed for sure right away.

We talked. He'd been on another church service mission, this one with his parents to the Nauvoo Temple. He'd loved it, but didn't miss it much because he serves every Saturday morning in the Mount Timpanogos Temple as an ordinance worker. Maybe I should try to come when he's there, I said. Yes, said Reed. And say hi to your brother Stephen, who I used to play soccer with, he added.

I kept asking Reed questions about his life then, because I've missed the way he talks. He's got a nice, gentle way about him and he obviously loves his life so much.

A part of me thinks maybe even the temple is a little holier because Reed serves in it.

Another part of me thinks: it's so good God gave us temples, so that there's a place for Reed to serve so meaningfully.

If it felt so right, why did it turn out wrong? -- Matt 2: 1-2

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him." (Matt 2: 1-2)

Could there be any doubt that the star they'd seen was most unusual? Could any of them question what he had felt on seeing that star, the way he'd simply known that this signified the coming of a very special Jewish their fathers had been hearing about since the days when Daniel served Darius?

A wise man knows that knowledge comes and goes, but that experience of spiritual certainty was more than ordinary knowledge. A wise man knows that some feelings are worth following across the desert, are worth giving up wealth to purchase frankincense, gold, myrrh. Those wise men knew that seeing that star meant they should drop everything and see the King of Israel's newborn son.

So they sold possessions. They bought the best presents and provisions for the journey. These easterners traveled west in past the borders of the Roman Empire, farther west than they'd ever been before, and found--nothing. There was Herod, yes, this was Jerusalem, sure enough. But no crying baby. Not even a toddler crawling around the floor. They'd been wrong, absolutely wrong. It was obvious--no king had been born in this house; there was nothing any star could do to change the reality that was right before their eyes!

"Can I help you?" said Herod.

And they were about to shrug, turn around, hang their heads, head home. About to stop watching fickle stars now and forever. About to forget the whole delusion that is Hope, about to give up their wisdom for good old realism and practicality.

But then one of them said, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews?"

And the others chimed in, "We saw the star. We know we saw the star. If he isn't here, where exactly can we go to find and worship him?"

Maybe the stars don't lie. Maybe the feelings we've felt are worth crossing the desert for really are worth every sacrifice.

Oh, but all that doesn't make it easy to follow God past so many of our assumptions and expectations!