I have a friend, a non-member friend, who attends church every Sunday with his wife.  He sits there stoically and unsmilingly.  I've never seen him smile.  I don't know if he can.  I suspect that he is there because of a deal that he made with his wife.  He doesn't look happy to be there.

But he's there!  He's close, so very close.  If he could allow his hard exterior and hard heart to soften, I could easily see him melting under the influence of the Holy Ghost.

It happened to Dick Hindman.  50 years ago Dick was a non-member attending church with his wife and two children.  His son returned from his mission, baptized his father, and Dick was later called to be bishop of the ward.

The exact same thing happened to Gary Smith.  He became a happy, smily, enthusiastic member after attending church for some time with his wife.  His son baptized him.

Dick and Gary and their wives are the lucky ones.  They went to the temple and were sealed.  Gary suddenly went to his reward earlier this year, and at 89, Dick is preparing for and anticipating the same.

I worry about my friend.  He's so close, so very close.  He doesn't know it, but he's close to having everything. He's close to rising to heaven and to inheriting all that the Father hath.  He's also close to stepping over the precipice, falling, and losing everything, including his stellar wife.  So much rides on his opening his heart to the Holy Ghost.

My brother-in-law drove his pickup into the field where I was baling hay.  He was shaking.  He said to me, “Do you know how you've been telling me that if I'd read the Book of Mormon and pray about it, I'd be told whether or not it's true?  I did that, and a high voltage of electricity went through me.  Then I asked if the Church was true, and got another jolt.  What do I need to do to join the Church?”

“Well, you'll have to meet with the missionaries and take their discussions.  And you'll have to give up your snoose.  Then you can be baptized.”

He and my sister had the missionary discussions.  My sister was baptized, but he listened to other voices, was unable to give up his vices, and became very anti where the Church is concerned.

He was close, so very close.

Just this week I gave him an invitation to come to dinner with my non-member brother and the missionaries.  Hate came from his eyes as he refused the invitation.  It was hate for me, the Church, and for the missionaries.  So sad.

My brother is meeting with the missionaries.  He's going to come to church this Sunday to hear me speak.  He has told me twice that he intends to be baptized.

He's close, so very close.  I am praying that he will become excited about the Book of Mormon and feel the Spirit.

I had a very missionary-minded son-in-law.  He was a good man with lots of potential and promise.  He admitted later that he lied to me when he asked my permission to marry my daughter.  He continued lying whenever it was convenient.  He was living a lie, and began medicating himself with vodka to ease his anxieties.  His guilt feelings eventually took him away from the Church, which led to other sins, which brought divorce and an early death.

He was close, so very close.

I've been a member now for almost 57 years.  They have been supremely happy years.  I'll be 77 years old in two more months.  I'm in good health, but I'm at an age where anything could happen.

I'm close, so very close.  I pray that I can stay faithful and not do anything that would offend God.