"Those Girls are on Bikes in Dresses!"

Do you ever feel so self conscious and think that everyone thinks you're weird? As a Mormon, you may have experienced this as lots of people think it's funny that we don't drink tea or coffee, wear sleeveless shirts, watch Rated-R movies, or go out to lunch after church. Not to worry, I can help!*

Recently, my companion and I, as well as all other missionaries in my mission, have been instructed to purchase bicycles. And then use them. For Elders, this is all well and good. Everyone is already used to seeing the boys on bikes, dressed in white shirts and ties. What they are not used to seeing is this:

Skirts; they are not conducive to bike riding.

While we may look a tiny bit silly, I have not felt all that weird putting on a helmet and biking around town. I know for a fact that my lovely companion sure has. Sure, we get the occasional snickers and double takes and, "Those girls are on bikes in dresses!" remarks, but I have yet to be embarrassed. Of course, I have not turfed it yet while riding and made a complete fool out of myself. Currently, I am a partial fool. And I'm fine with that.

See, three years ago, I learned a great lesson about reducing your embarrassment. I had found myself able to get two helium filled balloons for free. So, I decided the best use of them would be to carry them around the University of Utah campus while I went to my normal class schedule from 9 to 5 the day before my 22nd birthday. They were lilac and teal and I loved them. Most mature adults don't carry around balloons; more often than not, I sold colorful balloons to small children. Naturally, I should have been shrinking into a ball of embarrassment.

I started my day by stopping at the Union Services Desk and picking up my balloons from my dear friend Kim. Then I took them to American Literature, each of my succeeding classes, and the lunchroom in the Marriott Library. Now while I fully expected many people to ask me, "Why do you have those balloons?" no one actually did until I was standing around in the lunchroom waiting for my pizza to cook. And when I said, "My birthday's tomorrow," he didn't really care. 

I think what made everyone around me act normal was the fact that I acted like it is a completely normal thing to have two balloons tied to your wrist. Maybe they did think I was weird, but I didn't feel like they did.

We can do the same thing in most any other situation. Our confidence is what gives us strength, and if we, "Cast not away therefore [our] confidence, which hath great recompense of reward," we'll be fine. (Hebrews 10:35) In fact, we'll see great results, especially if we keep our confidence in The Lord.

Why does the Lord want to be confident? Because the other option is to be afraid.

Don't do that.

Remember, if you get the high-float, they say the balloons will last longer, but you can't take them outside. That's no fun.

*In the case of legitimate Social Phobia or Anxiety, please see you nearest licensed therapist. LDS Family Services has some good ones.

It's Elementary, My Dear Readers

Never wore this coat.
Or the hat.

Anyone who knows me knows I am enthusiastic about many things, but a couple of things in particular: Sherlock Holmes and all things relating to or similar to him, and accuracy, especially when it comes to grammar, spelling, and fact checking. In fact, you could say I'm a bit of a perfectionist and a fanatic in this second regard. Maybe even slightly OCD, but I'm not going to say more because I don't want to have to talk to another counselor.

Ahem.

I don't like it when people mis-quote things and take them to be the gospel truth. For instance, Sherlock Holmes never said, "Elementary, my dear Watson." Never. Never never never never never ever. And yet I will probably have to correct multitudes of people before I die because that sort of thing is essential to their salvation or something.

My point is: I keep hearing a particular phrase, most frequently applied when a person wants to come to church in jeans and a t-shirt, or when they don't want to have to change from their sinful ways. Mostly they don't want to be judged by others. It is, "Jesus said, 'Come as you are!'"

False Stereotypes

Did he? When? Where? Seriously, though. Someone please show me where in the King James Version of the Bible, God or Christ says, "Come as you are." I've looked with Sherlockian scrutiny in the Bible as well as the other standard works of the Church, and I cannot find it anywhere. I imagine you might be able to find it in some other translation of the Bible, but let's stick with the most doctrinally sound version. Not a single reference.

The problem with this, 'Come As You Are,' mentality is that it makes God contradictory. He is like a germaphobe Father, and we are his beloved children. Jesus Christ is the perfect older brother who never got a speck of dust on him at recess, while we managed to get ourselves into all sorts of dirt and mud. We simply can't 'come as we are' in this state because God can't stand the sight of all this filth on us, and we would feel dirty, gross, and uncomfortable to be anywhere near him.

That's more like it.

But the confusion is elementary to understand when we look at the source material. You see, Sherlock Holmes did say both, "Elementary," and, "My dear Watson," but in two separate stories. And Jesus Christ does repeatedly tells us to come unto him. Like John 14:6, Isaiah 55:3, or 2 Nephi 28:32. There's even a whole Topical Guide section on it.

Fortunately, Christ loves us and has given to us freely a cleansing agent called The Atonement. It will take some soaking, scrubbing, and sometimes repeated washing to get us clean, but we can get there. In Moroni 10:32, we're told to, "... come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God." Christ intends for us to come unto Him by becoming like Him.

I really don't care if you come to church in a t-shirt and jeans. Coming to church is a step towards denying yourself of all ungodliness. I will just celebrate that you are there. So please come: Come to church, come unto Christ, come join with us!

And by the way, Queen Marie Antoinette never said, "Then let them eat cake!"

We Believe in Biblical Things

We Believe...

That God spoke to a young boy and called him to be a prophet.

That Christ's true church can only be restored through divine power and with His authority.

That we don't know everything, but that God gives prophets revelations to help us understand His gospel.

        

In living the Gospel of Jesus Christ through all aspects of our lives.

     

That the Ten Commandments are not obsolete.

    
In the Law of Chastity.

    

In health codes and taking care of our bodies.

    

That the dead can be raised and the sick healed through priesthood power and authority.

That spiritual gifts are given to every man to help others grow in the Gospel.

That the Twelve Tribes of Israel will be gathered and that the Abrahamic Covenant still applies today

       

That Christ suffered for all our pains, afflictions, temptations, sicknesses, infirmities, and transgressions, was crucified, and rose again the third day to conquer death. 

That he will come again to the Earth in great power and glory, and we are eagerly preparing for that day.

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe in Biblical things. Through God, all things are possible, no matter how improbable they seem. I know that my Savior lives and that He loves me. I know that Jesus Christ's church has once again been restored to the earth, and we have the fullness of the Gospel and its blessings in His church. These things I testify as true in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.