Prophet Stories (General Post)
COLLECTED STORIES ABOUT PROPHETS
Written March 24, 2005
This is a collection of stories about prophets and other general authorities that I have heard over the years. They help to illustrate that the job of a prophet is to consult with the Lord, about management of the Lord's kingdom and doctrine. Some of these stories are in my journal, but finding them may be a long search. Each time I heard one of these stories, the Spirit confirmed that they really happened. We havereal prophets today, the same as in the Old Testament.
When I was a Baptist teenage farm kid, I would think about the prophets that I read about in the Bible and in the Baptist Sunday comic magazine. How I wished that I had lived several thousand years ago, so I could see a real prophet. Didn't seem possible.
It wasn't until after I joined the Church for several months, that it dawned on me that my teenage dream had been fulfilled. When I read "A Marvelous Work And A Wonder", it seemed normal that there would be modern-day prophets.
I started attending an Institute class, while I was in college. One day the teacher pointed out D&C 93:1. That verse stuck with me, for my entire life. In addition, a few years ago in a sealing session, Orville Gunther (former Provo temple president) pointed out 2 Nephi 9:41. That's a temple verse.
I went to an all-day Saturday lecture while I was living in Toronto, Canada by the former head of the Church genealogical society. I taped the lecture on reel-to-reel tape. Someday I need to copy that to IBM PC.
He told a couple first-person stories to illustrate his point that the job of a prophet is to talk with the Lord. He said that he went to Los Angeles with President McKay and some general authorites to see a movie about Christ. The movie was never released. He speculated that maybe it had too much truth in it.
After the movie, the group came out into the Hollywood sunlight. One of the general authorities asked President McKay what he thought of the movie. He said he thought it was wonderful. Then he unknowingly had a change of partner walking with him. The speaker thought Elder Lee had moved up beside President McKay.
President McKay then said, "There was only one thing wrong with it." Elder Lee asked, "What was that, President?" "The man who portrayed Christ, he didn't look like him."
The speaker then said, "Me being young and bold, I went up beside President McKay, and asked him what the Lord looks like. Then, we walked along with me in tears, as President McKay described in detail what the Saviour looks like."
Another story about Joseph Fielding Smith. Apparently the speaker's and Smith families knew each other well. The young Joseph Fielding bounced baby Paul on his knee.
One time shortly before the lecture, the speaker and President Smith were driving somewhere. He asked President Smith, "How well do you know the Saviour?" President Smith got really quiet. The speaker know him well enough, that he knew not to say anything. They drove along for a while, without either saying anything. Then President Smith grasped Paul firmly by the leg, and said, "I know the Saviour as well as I am grasping you by the leg. Does that answer your question?" It did.
That lecture was the start of my understanding of the interaction between the Lord and prophets.
I have over the years heard that the general authorities have a weekly Thursday meeting in the Salt Lake Temple. Also heard a story that someone asked an apostle how long it had been since the last time the Church received a revelation from the Lord. The response was, "How long has it been since Thursday?"
When we recently lived in Covina, California, I heard a story that when the artist painted the picture of Christ in the Los Angeles temple, an apostle sat down with him, to make sure the picture looked like the Lord.
Jerrie Lyn told me a few years ago, that the popular Church distribution center picture of Christ with the red robe and white clothing, is a close resemblance to the Lord. Her grandfather told her that. Apparently, President McKay (I think) had the artist redo the picture until it was right.
During the Orem East State conference when President Brotherson was sustained as new president, Elder Packer spoke during the priesthood leadership meeting. Elder Packer said something like, "We hear lots of interesting spiritual stories about the early general authorities. We don't hear many about the recent general authorities. That does not mean they do not happen. The one does not follow the other." He waggled his finger as he said that.
The thought came to me as he said that, that the communication between the Lord and the general authorities is as clear as a glass of clear water.
I heard a story about President Hinckley about a year ago, while I was working in the Lakeridge 7th Ward library. We were talking over the counter about the re-enactment of the Mormon trek, a few years before then. I pointed out the story I'd heard while in Orchard Second Ward, about the re-enactment of someone unseen helping push the carts through some sandy terrain in Wyoming. The same thing happened at the same place during the re-enactement. He confirmed the story.
He was well acquainted with a ward in Wyoming, some of who helped give some modern trekkers a bath. They confirmed the story to his Wyoming ward member friend.
His friend also said that President Hinckley was with some Church people at a pioneer graveyard in Wyoming. Some of the graves are unmarked. He walked around a little, then stopped and looked down. Then he said, "They are buried here. I can see them in their grave."
Mike Jeffreys in our current ward taught a High Priest lesson about President McKay. During the lesson, he mentioned a story about President McKay, as told by Elder Marvin J Ashton, then assistant to the Quorum Of The Twelve. President McKay and he shook hands after the London temple dedication. Then a while later, President McKay found him again. President McKay said, "Based on our interview, we are calling you to ?? position." It was just a 2-second handshake interview, with neither of them saying anything. Mike seemed a little dubious about that. I pointed out that President McKay was a prophet. Prophets have skills.
Prophets are given all the gifts of the spirit, per scripture. My understanding is that they have more of each gift than any other church member. Thus, President McKay's 2-second handshake interview. That would be the gift of discernment of spirits.
I have a small amount of that gift, enough to read a person's overall character and emotions. That skill was built over many years of temple attendance. At first, I would try to correlate what I felt through the spirit, with what I knew about the person through conversation.
The man who owns Beehive Hearing in Salt Lake, has much more of that gift. When he first met Jerrie Lyn and me, before I was fitted with hearing aids, he told us all about ourselves. He was dead on track.
I would expect a prophet to have that skill much better developed than the guy at Beehive Hearing.
The first apostle that I met was Elder Spencer W Kimball, just a few months after I joined the Church. His son Ed Kimball was a professor in the University Of Wisconsin law school, as well as a counselor in the branch presidency. Every couple years, apostle Kimball would come to visit his son.
One year when they dedicated the new Madison chapel on Regent and Segoe Streets, Elder Kimball came to dedicate the chapel. I met him at the Memorial Day ward picnic, the next day. I had a copy of the dedication program, and asked him to autograph it. He frowned, but signed the program. I have that in my scrapbook.
Elder Hugh B Brown came to a Minnesota stake conference. During that conference, he said, "If you knew what was coming, you would be on your hands and knees day and night, praying for strength." I have that conference talk on reel-to-reel tape.
While I was living in Toronto, Canada, I went to a young adult conference in Boston. Elder Harold B Lee was the apostle who came to that conference. I met him in the hotel lobby, as the group was leaving for the stake center. Shook hands with him. He looked like he didn't know what to do. His wife took over, and greeted me.
During that conference, he glowed like a 10,000-watt light bulb as he spoke. Didn't hear anything about that, until he died. Then a Church News article mentioned that characteristic.
L Tom Perry was the stake president during that conference. Several years later, he was called to be an apostle.
Also in Canada, LeGrand Richards was the apostle assigned to a stake conference. I met him in the foyer, with my original copy of "A Marvelous Work And A Wonder". He kindly autographed the book for me.
Hartman Rector Jr was the general authority at a Mormon Battalion conference in San Diego, while Jerrie Lyn and I were living in Escondido, California. He told a bunch of stories about his conversion to the Church while he was serving in the Navy. He wanted to find out about the young men who were talking to his wife. Navy men get suspicious.
He told a story about the brother who taught the investigator class. He had some questions that always stumped the preachers. Shortly after the class started, he asked the first question. The teacher said, "That's on page 133 in the Book Of Mormon." Then he read the answer from the Book Of Mormon.
He asked the second question. "That's on page 237." Again, he read the answer from the Book Of Mormon. That teacher knew the Book Of Mormon by page number!
Elder Rector emphasized the Book of Mormon, and said, waving the Book Of Mormon, "It's all here in the book."
At that time, our son Israel was still in diapers. He would crawl around with the bottle hanging out of his mouth. We went up front after the meeting with him in Jerrie Lyn's arms, and bottle hanging out of his mouth. Elder Rector said, "Good suction there."
After a sealing session in the Los Angeles temple, one of the patrons asked the sealer a question. The sealer than briefly mentioned something about temple ordinances that the prophet might participate in.
Written March 24, 2005
This is a collection of stories about prophets and other general authorities that I have heard over the years. They help to illustrate that the job of a prophet is to consult with the Lord, about management of the Lord's kingdom and doctrine. Some of these stories are in my journal, but finding them may be a long search. Each time I heard one of these stories, the Spirit confirmed that they really happened. We havereal prophets today, the same as in the Old Testament.
When I was a Baptist teenage farm kid, I would think about the prophets that I read about in the Bible and in the Baptist Sunday comic magazine. How I wished that I had lived several thousand years ago, so I could see a real prophet. Didn't seem possible.
It wasn't until after I joined the Church for several months, that it dawned on me that my teenage dream had been fulfilled. When I read "A Marvelous Work And A Wonder", it seemed normal that there would be modern-day prophets.
I started attending an Institute class, while I was in college. One day the teacher pointed out D&C 93:1. That verse stuck with me, for my entire life. In addition, a few years ago in a sealing session, Orville Gunther (former Provo temple president) pointed out 2 Nephi 9:41. That's a temple verse.
I went to an all-day Saturday lecture while I was living in Toronto, Canada by the former head of the Church genealogical society. I taped the lecture on reel-to-reel tape. Someday I need to copy that to IBM PC.
He told a couple first-person stories to illustrate his point that the job of a prophet is to talk with the Lord. He said that he went to Los Angeles with President McKay and some general authorites to see a movie about Christ. The movie was never released. He speculated that maybe it had too much truth in it.
After the movie, the group came out into the Hollywood sunlight. One of the general authorities asked President McKay what he thought of the movie. He said he thought it was wonderful. Then he unknowingly had a change of partner walking with him. The speaker thought Elder Lee had moved up beside President McKay.
President McKay then said, "There was only one thing wrong with it." Elder Lee asked, "What was that, President?" "The man who portrayed Christ, he didn't look like him."
The speaker then said, "Me being young and bold, I went up beside President McKay, and asked him what the Lord looks like. Then, we walked along with me in tears, as President McKay described in detail what the Saviour looks like."
Another story about Joseph Fielding Smith. Apparently the speaker's and Smith families knew each other well. The young Joseph Fielding bounced baby Paul on his knee.
One time shortly before the lecture, the speaker and President Smith were driving somewhere. He asked President Smith, "How well do you know the Saviour?" President Smith got really quiet. The speaker know him well enough, that he knew not to say anything. They drove along for a while, without either saying anything. Then President Smith grasped Paul firmly by the leg, and said, "I know the Saviour as well as I am grasping you by the leg. Does that answer your question?" It did.
That lecture was the start of my understanding of the interaction between the Lord and prophets.
I have over the years heard that the general authorities have a weekly Thursday meeting in the Salt Lake Temple. Also heard a story that someone asked an apostle how long it had been since the last time the Church received a revelation from the Lord. The response was, "How long has it been since Thursday?"
When we recently lived in Covina, California, I heard a story that when the artist painted the picture of Christ in the Los Angeles temple, an apostle sat down with him, to make sure the picture looked like the Lord.
Jerrie Lyn told me a few years ago, that the popular Church distribution center picture of Christ with the red robe and white clothing, is a close resemblance to the Lord. Her grandfather told her that. Apparently, President McKay (I think) had the artist redo the picture until it was right.
During the Orem East State conference when President Brotherson was sustained as new president, Elder Packer spoke during the priesthood leadership meeting. Elder Packer said something like, "We hear lots of interesting spiritual stories about the early general authorities. We don't hear many about the recent general authorities. That does not mean they do not happen. The one does not follow the other." He waggled his finger as he said that.
The thought came to me as he said that, that the communication between the Lord and the general authorities is as clear as a glass of clear water.
I heard a story about President Hinckley about a year ago, while I was working in the Lakeridge 7th Ward library. We were talking over the counter about the re-enactment of the Mormon trek, a few years before then. I pointed out the story I'd heard while in Orchard Second Ward, about the re-enactment of someone unseen helping push the carts through some sandy terrain in Wyoming. The same thing happened at the same place during the re-enactement. He confirmed the story.
He was well acquainted with a ward in Wyoming, some of who helped give some modern trekkers a bath. They confirmed the story to his Wyoming ward member friend.
His friend also said that President Hinckley was with some Church people at a pioneer graveyard in Wyoming. Some of the graves are unmarked. He walked around a little, then stopped and looked down. Then he said, "They are buried here. I can see them in their grave."
Mike Jeffreys in our current ward taught a High Priest lesson about President McKay. During the lesson, he mentioned a story about President McKay, as told by Elder Marvin J Ashton, then assistant to the Quorum Of The Twelve. President McKay and he shook hands after the London temple dedication. Then a while later, President McKay found him again. President McKay said, "Based on our interview, we are calling you to ?? position." It was just a 2-second handshake interview, with neither of them saying anything. Mike seemed a little dubious about that. I pointed out that President McKay was a prophet. Prophets have skills.
Prophets are given all the gifts of the spirit, per scripture. My understanding is that they have more of each gift than any other church member. Thus, President McKay's 2-second handshake interview. That would be the gift of discernment of spirits.
I have a small amount of that gift, enough to read a person's overall character and emotions. That skill was built over many years of temple attendance. At first, I would try to correlate what I felt through the spirit, with what I knew about the person through conversation.
The man who owns Beehive Hearing in Salt Lake, has much more of that gift. When he first met Jerrie Lyn and me, before I was fitted with hearing aids, he told us all about ourselves. He was dead on track.
I would expect a prophet to have that skill much better developed than the guy at Beehive Hearing.
The first apostle that I met was Elder Spencer W Kimball, just a few months after I joined the Church. His son Ed Kimball was a professor in the University Of Wisconsin law school, as well as a counselor in the branch presidency. Every couple years, apostle Kimball would come to visit his son.
One year when they dedicated the new Madison chapel on Regent and Segoe Streets, Elder Kimball came to dedicate the chapel. I met him at the Memorial Day ward picnic, the next day. I had a copy of the dedication program, and asked him to autograph it. He frowned, but signed the program. I have that in my scrapbook.
Elder Hugh B Brown came to a Minnesota stake conference. During that conference, he said, "If you knew what was coming, you would be on your hands and knees day and night, praying for strength." I have that conference talk on reel-to-reel tape.
While I was living in Toronto, Canada, I went to a young adult conference in Boston. Elder Harold B Lee was the apostle who came to that conference. I met him in the hotel lobby, as the group was leaving for the stake center. Shook hands with him. He looked like he didn't know what to do. His wife took over, and greeted me.
During that conference, he glowed like a 10,000-watt light bulb as he spoke. Didn't hear anything about that, until he died. Then a Church News article mentioned that characteristic.
L Tom Perry was the stake president during that conference. Several years later, he was called to be an apostle.
Also in Canada, LeGrand Richards was the apostle assigned to a stake conference. I met him in the foyer, with my original copy of "A Marvelous Work And A Wonder". He kindly autographed the book for me.
Hartman Rector Jr was the general authority at a Mormon Battalion conference in San Diego, while Jerrie Lyn and I were living in Escondido, California. He told a bunch of stories about his conversion to the Church while he was serving in the Navy. He wanted to find out about the young men who were talking to his wife. Navy men get suspicious.
He told a story about the brother who taught the investigator class. He had some questions that always stumped the preachers. Shortly after the class started, he asked the first question. The teacher said, "That's on page 133 in the Book Of Mormon." Then he read the answer from the Book Of Mormon.
He asked the second question. "That's on page 237." Again, he read the answer from the Book Of Mormon. That teacher knew the Book Of Mormon by page number!
Elder Rector emphasized the Book of Mormon, and said, waving the Book Of Mormon, "It's all here in the book."
At that time, our son Israel was still in diapers. He would crawl around with the bottle hanging out of his mouth. We went up front after the meeting with him in Jerrie Lyn's arms, and bottle hanging out of his mouth. Elder Rector said, "Good suction there."
After a sealing session in the Los Angeles temple, one of the patrons asked the sealer a question. The sealer than briefly mentioned something about temple ordinances that the prophet might participate in.
posted by Jim | 4:00 AM
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