5000 days project: a fulfilled promise

Sam and Luke with two younger brothers.

I was unable to watch the 5000 days movie: two brothers directly after conference on Sunday but I was able to watch it Monday night late.  It really was an awesome movie.  It fulfilled the promise of making a movie that was uplifting and had some meaning.  The movie works excellently to bring you into the relationship of two brothers.  The relationship isn't static over the years and it goes from hero worship of the younger toward the older to distance and wanting to be different.  Then it curves back around as they grow and mature and the relationship becomes best friends and surely one of their most meaningful relationships in life.  It culminates as the younger brother follows his older brother's example to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Luke and Sam.  Click here to read an article about the movie.

The movie brings some strong feelings to those that are watching.  Maybe the stronger your relationships or past relationships with your siblings will amplify the feelings you will feel as you watch these two very real siblings having a real relationship and growing up together and then apart.  They help each other to reach personal goals and encourage and strengthen each other whether at home or with one serving a mission and the other at home. 

Luke participating in a pioneer trek.

This is a wonderful movie that I fully intend to watch again and maybe again and again (which is very rare for me).  One of the best things is that Producer and Director, Rick Stevenson tells us that this is only the first movie in the project.  His video work was of several children as they grew up and he has several more movies in the process of being made. 

Rick Stevenson.

Rick Stevenson is not a member of the church but turns out to be related to the boys in this movie.  He was looking for people in the Seattle area that would agree to let him video tape the children through their childhood and early adult years and wanted to show some boys with good values. 

Luke on his mission in Cambodia.

He develops throughout the theme of building a relationship which blossoms and becomes fully realized with Sam as he serves as a missionary in Chile.  Sam realizes that to love others you must feel what they are feeling which of course has the risk of being overwhelmed.  To see how he relentlessly pushes himself to grow as a missionary and realizes that he must learn to love the people better and how that leads him to feel some of the things that they feel.  It is really an introspective part of the movie that can teach us all to realize what is part of loving others and the benefits of doing it. 

Sam as a youngster.

Other themes that are mentioned are hard work paying off, and never giving up.  Sam deals with some depression as a teenager as well which will touch some people who have experience with that (isn't that everybody?).  Sam was serving in Chile during the devastating earthquake and his videos and description from the area are meaningful as well, as are the feelings of the parents as they wait to find out if their son/missionary survived. 

I am looking forward to the additional movies that he puts out. 

Try me, prove me and see who I really am.

A few weeks ago in a Sunday school class the teacher talked about the verse in Jeremiah in the Old Testament chapter 17 verse 10.  It reads, "I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."

That verse has had me thinking for a few weeks.  I know the Lord tries us or proves us.  In other words he observes us to see how we handle trials as well as ease.  He wants to see who we really are.  Are we the spiffy looking person we like to appear as at church or do we act different when we can, when others don't see us and maybe when we think God won't notice.

Sometimes God does special things to try us to see where our heart lies.  Like in Doctrine and Covenants 124:55 when he gives Joseph Smith and the church the commandment to build a temple and explains: "that you may prove yourselves unto me that ye are faithful in all things whatsoever I command you, that I may bless you, and crown you with honor, immortality, and eternal life. "

How would we respond to a commandment especially one that was clearly labeled as a trial not just to see how we respond but so that we can get a desired reward by proving worthy of it.  Doesn't that happen frequently in our lives and in our society.  We often maybe even typically have to prove ourselves worthy by our effort or attitude or both to receive the promised reward.  Isn't that what a job application is about.  We show what we have done in the past that prepared us to do what the job requires and why we should get it.  A good resume tells them what our qualifications are but also tells them who we are.  But we hear about falsified resumes and that sort of stuff from time to time, I don't think that works with God.

Not only does He know our heart but He proves us so that there is no question.  Maybe so that we know our heart too and can't hide behind our excuses or even our fears.   Our excuses about why we didn't...whatever, and our fears (I'm thinking here of fears about not being able or good enough to...whatever, our lack of self esteem or maybe better said as our lack of recognition of our self worth).   God not only tries us to prove to Him but maybe to prove to ourselves (maybe sometimes surprise ourselves) as to what and who we really are and what we stand and will stand for and/or against.  Sometimes, unfortunately we may prove how quickly we will lay down when things get tough.

This idea of being tried individually and our life being a big trial to allow ourselves to prove ourselves is not new and is all through the scripture[click here to see examples] s.  And these are just a few of them.

But another related idea that intrigues me is that we also get the opportunity to prove God in a manner of speaking.  Lest we distrust or disbelieve that He will do as He says then we only need to DO what he says and prove Him.  This is mentioned in relation to one specific principle of the Gospel in Malichi 3:10: "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."  I suspect that we also prove God when we do other things He has commanded and reap the blessings and consequences of that obedience.  Similarly when we do the things He says not to do we reap that result as well.  And all this reaping proves Him, that He does what He says and that things really are as He says they are. 

All this proving and trying of us to Him makes these words in Jacob 4:13 even clearer: "for the Spirit [keep in mind that the Spirit, the Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead] speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls. But behold, we are not witnesses alone in these things; for God also spake them unto prophets of old."  So let us open our eyes and see what is clear so we can know what really is going on and not be duped or stupefied but instead prove ourselves faithful and true. 

2010 a year of excitement, wonder and fear.

Well here it is the last few hours of 2010 and I was thinking what would be the things that I would remember from this year.  Or maybe the things that have shaped me this year and propelled me into the future year. 

Well first off it was the year of the wedding.  The big news is that we attended two weddings on opposite coasts of the country.  First was Anny's in Portland and second was Jaime's in Washington DC.  The first one we flew out there with Mom and attended and met Anny's family from Russia and her husbands large family and had a very enjoyable time.  Jaime's was here and was great withLesli & Kim and our family going there and having a great family home evening the night before that will be memorable due to blessings, lindt truffles and squirt guns.  We met Mike's family and went to the reception in MN. 

It was also the year of Megan's return from her mission.  We missed her terribly but were pleased to have her home in time for Jaime's wedding and then also to have her home for a couple months before she goes back to BYU. 

It was also the year of the release.  I was released as the Bishop in our ward and in a moments time things changed drastically for us.  I was pleased to serve and pleased to be released.  Now I am doing a variety of things like writing this blog to keep me busy and productive. 

It was the year of Dad's fall.  A very scary fall that has left him in a coma for weeks and been punctuated to date with improvement and reversals but most recently improvement.  We look forward to seeing additional progress next year. 

It was the year of the family reunion being the first of three times that at least part of our family went to Minnesota this year.  We love Minnesota and it was cool in the summertime after having a very hot summer here in VA.  We enjoyed the family while at the same time missing Megan who was still on her mission at that time. 

This was the second year in a row that Lisa and I went to Nag's head in October, this time to celebrate our 27th anniversary, which we enjoyed a lot.  It was a real rest and relaxation to go there with few demands and lots of time to think and enjoy the salt air and quiet fall beaches. 

This was also the year of friends visiting.  We met Peter, Gloria and Mat; friends of Megan's who came to visit.  Jeremy visited for the first time since his return from India. 

While we struggled through some parts and were filled with pleasure and joy through other parts of the year the most joy came from being with our family as usual.  Great friends and associates (including those in the church setting as well as those at work and others) have also made it a good year. 

I am thankful to the Lord for the opportunites that came both as ease and pleasure as well as those that came as work and stress to help stretch me and remind me of my maker.  I hope we can all appreciate our opportunities even if they came as challenges and catastrophies.  It is hard some times to be grateful for those things that are not resolved and carry us along in a stream or river with an unknown end.  I hope I can hang on and be thrilled with the ride as I battle the fear of the unknown.