Seven Woes of Zion

Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!  Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well! Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!  Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more!  And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God!

Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 28:24-28

Wo unto him that is at ease in Zion

Who works not, neither toils nor labors

Not counted upon nor relied upon

To serve or care for his neighbors

Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well

Who misleads, deceives and distorts

With words of wellbeing, easy to sell

To all whose vanity he courts

Wo to him that hearken unto the precepts of men

While denying words of a prophet and seer

Unsaintly, natural men, who take delight in sin

Who hide when the Light of Truth is near

Wo to him that denieth God’s power

Believing himself to be the end of the law

And who will tremble, shake and cower

Before the Judge of Power and Awe

Wo to him that denieth the gift of the Holy Ghost

Denying the Holy Counselor and Guide

Mouthing a foolish and prideful boast

Leading to darken places, with no place to hide

Wo be unto him that saith we need no more

Crying we’ve had enough of God’s word

Then, heaven's rain of truths no longer pour

And once-spiritual eyes are blinded and blurred

Wo unto those who are angry about God’s truth

Angry about things as they really are, or are to be

For one day the unrepentant will accept the proof

When at last their tongues confess and they bow the knee

Larry Doyle Crenshaw

The Keeper of the Gate

O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.

42  And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.

Book of Mormon; 2 Nephi 9:41-42

A sacred path before us lies

Heavenward to a promised abode

Running narrow before our eyes

With a gate at the end of the road

Its entrance is solitary and spare

There’s only one Keeper of the Gate

And Christ employs no servant there

Only He, Chief Judge and Magistrate

To him that knocketh the Redeemer will open

Except fools vaunting riches and learning

Whose hearts are puffed up and unbroken

With minds darkened and Spirits not burning

There’s no escape nor can we be reprieved

From passing through the Holy One’s gate

Where He who judges cannot be deceived

Nor justice and mercy deny our fate

Are we prepared for the Keeper of the Gate

When asked for tokens, will we be mystified

Will our life be found true and straight

Judged as holy, pure and sanctified

Now is the day of our salvation

To work and strive while mortal

As the Keeper waits at His station

For our passage through His portal

Larry Doyle Crenshaw

 Enemy of My Soul

Last week we considered “The Things of My Soul.”  This week we encounter the “Enemy of My Soul.”  This enemy seeks residence in the darker recesses of thought, feeling, and action.  Parasitic in its approach, it feeds on our less-than-worthy character traits – our sins of omission and commission, our unnecessary worries, our preoccupations with self, and a dozen other elements of personality that define our baser selves. The remedy as noted in this week’s homily suggests that we subdue and then impose a bill of divorcement, a personal eviction notice that will “give place no more for the enemy of my soul.”

Enemy of My Soul

Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.  Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions. Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation. O Lord, wilt thou redeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin?

Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 4:26-31

Awake, my soul and rejoice my heart

As I subdue the enemy of my soul

O Lord, may thy power impart

Strength to make me whole

I know the enemy of my soul

He is my natural man

Unrepentant, sinful and cold

Hopeless, shiftless, and sifted as sand

Make me shake at the appearance of sin

Stirred by the strength of my convictions

May I conquer my demons within

And never yield to mine afflictions

Thou art the rock of my salvation

The hope of a divine liberation

From sin to an exalted station

Fulfilling the measure of my creation

Yea, I’ll cry unto the Lord for redemption
                                       Acclaim and honor and praise his role                                       

As Author and Finisher of my salvation

And Victor over the enemy of my soul

Larry Doyle Crenshaw

 The Things of My Soul

There is a place of solitude - a sacred center in the center of our soul.  Therein is a scroll upon which the Holy Spirit and often ourselves figuratively write things of eternal importance.  It is there that we go when considering the things of our soul.  From this sacred wellspring comes inspiration and light to guide our way, and fire to kindle a flame in our darker moments.  

From this sacred center comes the music that causes our soul to sing praises to God and the Lamb.  From this sacred center, prophets, moved by the Holy Spirit, have received revelation regarding the truths we find in scripture.   As we study God’s word, their power and majesty is imprinted upon our souls, both the pleasant and the painful are recorded there for our profit and learning. 

This week’s meditative verse from the Book of Mormon reflects upon the things of our soul.

The Things of My Soul

And upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass. For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children. Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.

Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 4:15-16

Upon the plates of brass

He wrote the things of his soul

Stories and doctrines to pass

To generations yet untold

Things for hearts discerning 

 In which we take delight

Recorded for profit and learning

Giving our soul its light

Upon life’s scroll I also write

The things of my soul

Things true and light and bright

Things dark and bitter and cold

The pages of past days are complete

They list deeds both good and bad

My future scroll is a blank sheet

With words and deeds to add

There’s many a thing to write

Before the scroll is ended

 Love, and hope, and faith to cite

And how with life I contended

As I write the things of my soul

May they bring solace for those who read

That truth and wisdom may unfold

As I share my faith and creed

Larry Doyle Crenshaw

Past Feeling...................

There is a place somewhere just beyond the edge of emotional capacity.  It is a habitation devoid of joy, peace, contentment, and love.  It is the destination of those whose lives have been filled with the emptiness that results from yielding to base desires, and works of darkness. Having spent their days seeking emotional fulfillment through base and carnal activities, their capacity for light and righteousness becomes almost nil.  This week’s meditative verse from the Book of Mormon describes that dark-some place of misery known as “Past Feeling.”

Past Feeling

Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder.

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 17:45

“O Laman, O Lemuel,

A still small voice or voice of thunder

We question which do you hear

A voice to shake and divide asunder

Or a still voice small and clear”

“Swift to do iniquity, and slow to serve the Lord

Past feeling and to angels’ voices numbed

Your angry words and deeds record

That to Satan’s will you have succumbed”

“O My Brothers,

You saw an Angel and heard his voice

But it never left its mark

Hatred and rebellion became your choice

As to another voice you did hark”.

“O My Children,

May you never get past feeling

May you always feel God’s word

May your prayers fly beyond the ceiling

That His blessings may be conferred”

Larry Doyle Crenshaw