Some writings are beautiful—masterpieces of construction as elegant as the best painting or sculpture. The author selects the perfect words, and places them in just the right setting to impart the mood and thought that he desires.

“A weed is an unproductive plant that takes light and nourishment from the good ones around it,” she thought as she pulled up another mallow.

Very early one morning, before the sun had risen, a spider set to work building a web. The spot he chose for his home was on the front side of the rear-view mirror of a shiny, freshly-washed car.

The greatest joys are to be found in creating. This is the great lesson and open secret that God has tried to teach His children from the beginning.

Life has two beginnings—the womb and the tomb. The first is riskier than the other. If life has been well-lived, then death becomes the key that opens to a world of light and knowledge and joy and eternal family relationships.

This scripture impressed me as I read last night:
“And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things.”

What is the value of an education? I asked that question of Adam. His succinct response was: “It taught me how to read!”

This morning I was reading in Eli’s high school geography book about “dowry deaths” in India. Girl babies in India are looked upon as a liability.

During my scripture study the other evening I turned to a cross reference I’d made earlier. I turned to Genesis and read about Abraham and Lot parting ways.

This year in ward conferences the stake presidency is pursuing a theme encouraging us to “immerse ourselves in the scriptures.”

This year in ward conferences the stake presidency is pursuing a theme encouraging us to “immerse ourselves in the scriptures.”

In the 600’s A.D. my ancestors, the Condons, owned and controlled some 20,000 acres of land in County Cork, Ireland. To protect themselves and their holdings from marauding bands and armies they built a castle.

A little knowledge of the scriptures can be an embarrassing thing. Sometimes we know just enough of a verse to enable us to misquote it badly.

A little over a year ago, the Church gave my wife, Marjorie, and I an assignment to locate our church members in Durkee.

One warm, summer day a man took his raft to the river to enjoy a leisurely float in the sunshine. Everyone else had the same idea.

(Tracing the women of one inter-connected family line
from the frontier of one coast to the frontier of the other)

As I took the sacrament Sunday and contemplated on the Savior and my blessings, a thought went through my head that left me glowing. I can think of only one other that could possibly transcend the thought that hit me then.

28 September 2008
I awoke this morning with a thought, which was really a series of thoughts. I’ll see if I can write them down in an intelligible manner.

I can think of only a handful of books that I’ve read more than once. I’ve read many, many books in my lifetime, but only a few are so good that they merit more than one reading.

Following their ward conference, a Relief Society president led her presidency and the representative from the stake organization to the kitchen—that being the most available room in which they could meet in the busy meetinghouse.

Following a local production, a stake Relief Society president was begged to allow the show to be performed at the stake level.

In my estimation the three most intense callings in a typical ward are bishop, Relief Society president, and scoutmaster. These callings require a great deal of sacrifice if handled properly.

My college student son, Matt, asked if we knew where in the works of Shakespeare it says, “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse.” I got out our three-volume set of the complete works of Shakespeare and gave it to him. His genetics professor had told the class that he’d give 5 extra points to anyone who could identify the source of the quote. We thought that perhaps we could find the quote by locating a story about a king. We found, however, that Shakespeare wrote histories about numerous English kings. We gave up the search.
The next morning I was looking for something in my journals. I happened upon an entry concerning two lost wallets, and how they were both miraculously found after prayers asking for that specific blessing. The Shakespeare books were sitting there beside me, so I said, “Heavenly Father, Matt would really like to know the source of this quote. Thou knowest where it is, and if it’s important, would thou show me where to find it?” I then looked at the pile of three books, and thoughtfully chose the middle one. I opened it and found a one-paragraph synopsis of the history of some king. I read it because it was kind of interesting. I then turned two pages and read “King Richard III, ‘A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse, Act V, Scene IV.’ ” I turned to that reference and found King Richard on foot in the midst of a battle with the French. His horse had been slain, and he cried out “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse.”
Those books of Shakespeare contain 1320 pages of fine print.
I told my family about my experience. Another of my sons said, “I’m surprised that he reads Shakespeare.”
I said, “Who, the professor?”
“No, Heavenly Father.”
The moral of the story is that Heavenly Father not only knows everything, but each of us. He cares not only about our major concerns, but about the smallest details. He says repeatedly in the scriptures, “Seek and ye shall find, ask and it shall be opened unto you.” Probably nothing is more repeated in the scriptures than that. I think that He really means it.
As I think about it, there are other lessons to be learned from the story. A good one involves King Richard III. His brother, King Edward IV of England, died in the spring of 1483. Upon his death, Edward’s 12-year-old son became king, and was left in the care of Richard. Richard was named protector of the realm. All that was standing in the way of Richard himself becoming king were this 12-year-old king and his younger brother. Richard had the two boys put in the Tower of London, and they were never heard of again. Richard was crowned king in July 1483.
Richard’s reign was short-lived. Two years later Richard found himself fighting the Battle of Bosworth Field in a vain attempt to remain on the throne. This was the deciding battle in the 30-year-long Wars of the Roses. It was in the midst of this battle that Richard found himself afoot, and made the specious promise that he would trade his kingdom for a horse. No one took him up on the offer, and he was killed.
Do you suppose that Richard would really have given his kingdom in exchange for a horse? This is the man who reputedly had his two young nephews killed so that he could become king in their stead. Had someone been gracious enough to give him a horse in the midst of the battle, and had that person himself survived the battle, would Richard have had the integrity to keep his word?
People who are without integrity don’t keep promises. The promises that they make are specious—false—and are only made to further their own positions. Note how king Laman kept his promise in the 23rd chapter of Mosiah:
Alma, the elder, and his people were peacefully tilling their fields when an army of the Lamanites appeared in the borders of the land. The army was lost in the wilderness, and couldn’t find their way home. They “promised unto Alma and his brethren, that if they would show them the way which led to the land of Nephi that they would grant unto them their lives and their liberty.
“But after Alma had shown them the way that led to the land of Nephi the Lamanites would not keep their promise; but they set guards round about the land…over Alma and his brethren.” (Mosiah 23:36-37). The people of Alma were subsequently severely persecuted, became virtual slaves and beasts of burden, and were only delivered by the Lord’s miraculous intervention.
King Laman and King Richard were following the pattern set down by Lucifer, the arch deceiver. Lucifer showed Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:8-9). Sure.
Zeezrom tempted Amulek by saying: “Behold, here are six onties of silver (which was a great deal of money), and all these will I give thee if thou wilt deny the existence of a Supreme Being.” (Alma 11:22).
Amulek saw through the lie and declared, “Thou hadst it in thy heart to retain them from me; and it was only thy desire that I should deny the true and living God, that thou mightest have cause to destroy me.” (Alma 11:25).
We’re offered many specious promises today whose purpose is to destroy us. The promises might involve false feelings of well-being from drugs or alcohol. The promises might involve wealth without working, or purchases that need only be paid for at some distant date in the future. It might be a promise from a friend that only once won’t hurt you. The promise might come from an entity or person that you’d be inclined to trust. The entity might be the government trying to sell you a lottery ticket, or it might be a man repeatedly proclaiming that he’s a Christian, and that he would never cheat you. People who find it necessary to point out their Christianity are suspect in my book.
On the other hand are the promises of the Lord. These are issued through prophets, and are always kept in every particular. If the Lord says, “Repent or be destroyed,” that nation, city or person had better pay attention. If the Lord says, “Keep my commandments, and ye shall prosper in the land,” as He says at least 24 times in the Book of Mormon, you can be assured that He will keep His promise. He says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” (Matthew 7:7). He means it, and caps the promise with these words: “Whatsoever things ye shall ask the Father in my name shall be given unto you.” (3 Nephi 27: 28).
We would do well to hitch our trust to the Lord. Trust Him in all that He says through His prophets. He has perfect integrity. We must, too. Be careful of those who lack integrity. Their word and their promises are no promises at all. They might promise you a kingdom in exchange for a horse, but they’ll never deliver.
The Lord, on the other hand, counsels us to receive His servants, “For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me;
“And he that receiveth me receiveth my Father;
“And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him. (D&C 84: 36-38).
This you can count on.

Spiritual blindness is increasing in the world. (James E. Faust, Ensign, November 2005, pg. 20). As W. Grant Bangerter put it, “(the) world (is) madly throwing everything overboard, including the anchor, the compass, the helm, and even the pilot.”

I have attended three funerals in as many weeks. All three have been somewhat unsettling. The first was a service read verbatim from a prayer book.

My wife claims that I took the missionaries to a family of our acquaintance and taught them every week for a whole year. I think that’s an exaggeration, but she insists that it’s so.

My son-in-law related a spiritual experience. He lost his wallet, and really needed it for his trip to Spokane. He figured it had to be in their bedroom, so he undertook to clean the room.

Yesterday was the wedding of my nephew. An Episcopal or Catholic “father” performed the ceremony.

It is my turn to stay home from church to baby-sit Grandma. Five-year-old Abby, my granddaughter, has a runny nose and a cold, and is also with me.

As a new member of the Church, I quickly focused on two elderly men in the Baker wards who seemed the epitome of saintliness.

In referring to the Spirit World, I have often heard people wonder out loud how anyone there could possibly ignore or reject the teachings that are offered.

“Tis the season for school Christmas programs. Thanks to Madelein Murray O’Hare, school Christmas programs are now designed to fill one full of Christmas jeer.

Aaron: “It’s gettin’ cool in here. What’s happened to Dad’s fire building?”
Nathan: “It’s either feast or famine—furnace or freezer.”

A gorgeously-attired girl entered our shop dressed in an ankle-length dress. Her hair was done to a “T.”

Kevin Rich went to basketball camp in Portland. He said that all of the boys were lined up according to height. Standing there in line, Kevin looked down at his shoes.

As a bishop, I was involved in everyone’s problems. It seemed I was expected to help and give counsel in every difficulty that people faced.

Journal entry, Wednesday 5 April 1995
I had a neat experience last week. I haven’t thought about Leonard Dewitt for several years. He came into my mind last week.

The Book of Mormon provides a unique outlook on the subject of wealth and prosperity. Prosperity, according to the Book of Mormon, is inseparably connected to righteousness.

At age 19, I was given a Book of Mormon. At that time my spirits couldn’t possibly have been lower. I was discouraged, depressed, and had just quit my second year of college because of my mental attitude.

Adam was gone from home for two days taking training in Washington. His wife and little son, Caleb, chose to spend the Adamless night at the home of his in-laws.

Uriah answered his country’s call. The king had decreed that every able male should make himself available to go against the Ammonites.

As my kids were growing up, we spent a lot of time reading as a family. When they were little we read all of Thornton W. Burgess’ books.

Some years ago while serving in the U. S. Navy aboard one of its smaller ships, I found myself at sea somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. One beautiful, sunny day I went up on deck into the bow of the ship.

Jesus set forth in simple terms many principles of leadership, and then left it up to his followers to try His words and thus discover their hidden wisdom.

When I became bishop of Baker Second Ward 23 years ago there was a family in the ward with identical twin daughters less than a year old.

Dear Family,
I’m not sure that I have a letter in me, but here goes. The best news is that we got a letter from Danny yesterday.

I have several sons who won’t eat asparagus. That’s pretty sad considering the fact that their mother loves it.

There is a gene at large among the female members of this family. Its source was Margie’s mother, Zelma.

Church would start in just two minutes. He’d wanted to get there early to get something from the bishopric while they were still in their office.

Table of Contents of “Random Writings”