Latter Day Saints

Well, it was kinda sad last night when my LDS friends left. I called them Mormon's but my friend Laura told me that it was more PC to refer to them as "latter day saints" or LDS's. That doesn't have the same ring to it or roll off my tongue as easily but I'm trying not to offend. Anyway, I will no longer be seeing them regularly and I'm a little bummed.

About 2 or 3 months ago these two fellas showed up walking down the narrow lane behind my house. I'm up on my back deck and spot the telltale short-sleeved white shirts and ties. Oh yes, and the name tags. They were looking for my neighbor, I think they were following a lead or a referral but I don't know how that works in the Mor... I mean LDS church. Anyway, I was hoping they'd take me cause I was sure I could pound away relentlessly at their theology until they came to Christ right there on my deck and then asked me to disciple them ongoing. Sure enough, they visited, we had a nice discussion and though we disagreed I liked these guys.

About a month later they showed up again. I was truly surprised because I had done a little more reading and felt like I wasn't a great prospect for their church. They place a high value on marriage and big families and neither were in my future. I figured they spent most of their time with younger couples and maybe those with greater kingdom potential, whatever that is. So, I invited them in and we talked about all kinds of stuff. It appeared they really weren't trying to convert me. I started thinking, hey.... what's wrong with me? Don't they want me? I WANT TO BE A MORMON, D*#% IT!!

Well, we talked on and on. One asked about my guitar collection and I sensed he had some musical training. Sure enough he was an accomplished trumpet player and had even been a member of the Blue Knights, a drum corps from Denver. He said he always wanted to learn to play the guitar. Hmmm..... I thought, I love to teach guitar, I used to do it all the time. I said, "would you like to learn?"

So that's how we started meeting regularly. Every Wednesday night in my home they would come. Me and "Blue Knight" would practice guitar and his friend would read a book. Once he would read the book of Mormon, another time it was the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Blue Knight and I labored over finger picking, chords, Amazing Grace and the pentatonic minor scale. Every once in awhile I thought, wait a minute.... I'm not doing my job. I need to point out to them the error of their doctrine. Don't you know God doesn't have flesh and bone? Jesus was never Lucifer's brother, for crying out loud!!! Well, I just didn't think that was the voice of the Holy Spirit.

We continued for a few weeks. "Reader" read a few books he borrowed from me and "Blue Knight" practiced consistently. He's going to be a good guitar player if he hangs in there. We talked and actually did delve into their doctrine a bit. I always felt like we went around in circles when we did that. I also felt like it wasn't my role to try to figure out if these guys were saved. Do they know Him? Are they Christians? They professed to know Him. Maybe a few more weeks and we would have spent more time examining the scriptures and working it out. Maybe God was ready to move them on to a more obedient servant who would more diligently work on them. I planted seeds. Or maybe I watered. I tried to always point to Jesus Christ and his completely forever finished work on the cross. No Aaronic priesthood is necessary any longer. There remains no more sacrifice for sins or any work we can do. It's all Jesus. Man, it is all Jesus!

I really like those guys.....

Note: "Reader" and "Blue Knight" are not their real names.