Next time you are tempted to ignore advice given us by the Lord's annointed, consider this quaint quote from Joseph Smith, expressing his frustration with the Saints of his day:
"There has been a great difficulty in getting anything into the heads of this generation. It has been like splitting hemlock knots with a corn-dodger for a wedge, and a pumpkin for a beetle. Even the Saints are slow to understand.
"I have tried for a number of years to get the minds of the Saints prepared to recieve the things of God; but we frequently see some of them, after suffering all they have for the work of God, will fly to pieces like glass as soon as anything comes that is contrary to their traditions: they cannot stand the fire at all. How many will be able to abide the celestial law, and go through and receive their exaltation, I am unable to say, as many are called, but few are chosen" (HC, 6:184-85.)
OK, having been a homeowner in the 80's, the era of wood-burning stoves, I fully understand splitting logs with a wedge and sledge hammer, and I know that hemlock is very hard wood and hemlock knots are even harder, but I would appreciate some comments on the definitions of "corn-dodger", and "beetle".
Whatever the case, I think Joseph Smith would be (is) pleased with the stature of the Church he restored today. We just have to keep listening and trying to understand, so that we can be chosen.
Dad
HISTORY
A Little History:
Our story begins in Pocatello, Idaho, circa 1972, when the lovely Debby Christensen agreed to a first, though fateful date with admirer, David Croshaw. Long story-short, he bade her follow him, and they went arm-in-arm to the Logan, Utah temple for establishment of an eternal family unit, Generation 1, on May 23 1973.
From their first blissful summer in Salt Lake City, educational pursuits took them to Provo/Orem, Utah, birthplace of Leslie and Rebecca, and to San Francisco/Oakland California, birthplace of Colin and Matt. Then, for establishment of livelihood, expansion of the tribe with Abby and Dana, and for raising/unifying of Generation 2, it was back to the roots in Pocatello for a rewarding sojourn.
In time, driven by a raging, but commonly shared sense of adventure and independence, one-by-one, Generation 2 escaped the homeland to distant regions of the country and the world, each ultimately developing their own tribal expansions by pairing with worthy mates and initiating Generation 3.
Now sensing fulfillment of their purpose in Pocatello, Generation 1 has also left those roots and transplanted to Cascade Idaho, from which base, they anticipate more abundant contact with The Posterity, Generations 2 and 3, in the future. That contact however, awaits fulfillment of a call to LDS missionary service in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, wherein they hope to help the state of the world by sharing the love of Jesus Christ.
So now, including Generation 0 (Grandma and Grandpa Christensen) home base includes Yuma, Arizona, Pocatello, Idaho, Cascade, Idaho, Vancouver, BC, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Spokane, Washington, Boise, Idaho, Los Angeles, California, back to Boise, Idaho, and on and on (Generation 3+) to infinity.
Our Mission Statement:
This is the blog of our eternal family unit. Initiated years ago, it served well as a journal, but even more so, as an archive of our personal interaction. It was a gathering place, a confabulation instrument, a unifying force for four generations of widely dispersed and progressively prolific posterity, and their valued associates. Though it served these purposes well for many years, it eventually took a back seat to new-kids-on-the-block, Facebook, and Instagram, and was sadly forgotten.
We now move to resurrect this blog with an added functional purpose of archiving the missionary experiences of Generation 1, of their movements and activities as they participate with The Gathering of Israel in the land northward. In so doing, we hope that via their own comments and posts, this blog will again serve to gather and unify the posterity and their friends.
As in the past, that the young and vibrant may know the old and tired, that enduring bonds may be fostered and maintained, that experience and encouragement may be openly shared, that posterity may embrace truth, and that hearts may be knit together, we must resist detachment despite our geographic divergence. We shall do so here.
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2 comments:
Hi Dad,
The internet is a wonderful thing, and I quickly found some answers to your 17th century trivia questions.
Corn dodger- a cake made primarily of cornmeal, either baked or fried.
Beetle- mallet: a tool resembling a hammer but with a large head (usually wooden); used to drive wedges or ram down paving stones or for crushing or beating or flattening or smoothing
Excellent research Leslie. Picture that, trying to split hemlock knots, using a corn cake for a wedge and a pumpkin for a hammer. That's how difficult it was to get those early saints to accept anything new, even though they had already embraced the concept of the restoration and were willing to die for it. But, how descriptive stingingly sarcastic is that metaphor? Ouch! He must have been really frustrated with them. But he got the point across, with his own form of parable. I think he must have been a genius, with revelation thrown in.
Dad
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