Farewell Talk Notes - Given October 23, 2016

This is the written version of my talk notes.  Elaborations and comments were added extemporaneously.

Pressing 

….

In January of 1986 the launch countdown of space shuttle challenger had already begun - 23 minutes, 3 seconds and counting down - and 7 crew members, including a teacher, and two payload specialists were suited up and strapped in.  The viewing stands were full of people with binoculars watching the steaming rocket, anticipating the launch.

Television cameras from all over the world were sending images into the homes of millions of viewers. 

Even as the excitement grew there were a few who looked upon this event with great fear and maybe even some panic as those in authority over them disregarded their warnings that there was a serious problem with the “O” rings. The “O” rings created a pressure seal separating broiling gases from the solid rocket fuel.  Someone from Morton-Thiokol the maker of the “O” rings and some engineers from NASA, offered a warning and insisted the launch be shut down.  Up the line of authority, “Go fever” was rampant.  This launch had been planned for years.  School children were watching a teacher be a brave pioneer.  Pride, peer pressure and egos overcame the advice of those who knew that the cooler temperature that day could weaken the “O” rings.

One scientist likened this event to a commercial airline allowing a flight to take off even though a wing was about to fall off.

73 seconds after take off, at an altitude of over 40,000 feet O-ring pressure seal broke allowing gases and heat to reach the solid rocket fuel and exploded the shuttle challenger to smithereens.  Thinking about pressure, I could compare myself to an o ring, understanding if I give in to the wrong kind of pressure, things are not going to go so well.  If I compare myself to the scientists who sounded the voice of warning, I can understand their anguish, but also the fact that they stood strong made a difference to them.  Sometimes it takes great courage to withstand the negative powerful forces and pressures around us.

I would like to talk today being a valiant follower of Christ and two types of pressure that help us to be faithful and valiant.  

First is pressing forward in faith, and second is withstanding the pressures of the world.

 (Demonstration of isometric hand press – You have to press and withstand at the same time….and it takes work.)

Lately, preparing for the upcoming mission, I have felt a considerable amount of pressure and stress – some of it good and some of it wearing.   Each of you also have pressures to deal with.  As I look out I can see so many people I love and have been inspired by – family, neighbors, and friends old and new (some friends for over 4 decades!)  Thank you for your examples to me. I know some you have, or are even today dealing with the trials of wayward children, loneliness, depression, death, serious illness, discouragement, joblessness, debt, and the consequences of sin or the mistakes of others. Sometimes it seems both a blessing and a curse to know of the Lord.  It seems great while things are going well, but it might seem as though the Lord has forgotten you.

But I believe that all the pressures of earth life are to make us stronger and to try us.  Think of a chick pecking through its egg.  Think of a seedling pushing through the soil.  I have some tulips planted where thick shrubs grew over them.  I am delighted every spring how they

insist on seeing the sun and grow stems of nearly two feet high so they can bloom in the sunlight where they belong.

Joseph Smith asked, “What do we hear in the gospel we have received?  A voice of gladness!  A voice of mercy from heaven..shall we not go on in so great a cause? Courage, let your hearts rejoice and be exceedingly glad.”  He reminds us we are promised to be rewarded according to our own diligence and perseverance while in the vineyard (that means while we’re here on earth, now) He encourages us to respond to pressures by going forward and not backward, be patient and humble in all circumstances so we can withstand every temptation and overcome every evil.  We can take courage in what it says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that God will not suffer you to be tempted beyond that ye are able to withstand.  That is a powerful statement. He’s not going to tempt or pressure me beyond that which I can handle – If He thinks I can do it, I can!  If He thinks I can be a missionary, a mother, a friend, a visiting teacher, I can!  I can press forward, and I can withstand.

I‘d like to share 2 analogies where the use of pressure made a difference.  I will tell you the moral of the story before I share the story.

The first moral is: Beginning with the basics helps you to press forward and go forward. 

(Having faith, repenting, listening to promptings.)

Bed-making Story

(Joke with audience about not making bed…explanation of who Admiral is and that this was from a graduation speech he made…)

Naval Adm. William H. McRaven, ninth commander of U.S. Special Operations Command – Seal Team 6

“Every morning in basic SEAL training, my instructors, who at the time were all Vietnam veterans, would show up in my barracks room and the first thing they would inspect was your bed. If you did it right, the corners would be square, the covers pulled tight, the pillow centered just under the headboard and the extra blanket folded neatly at the foot of the rack — that's Navy talk for bed.

It was a simple task — mundane at best. But every morning we were required to make our bed to perfection. It seemed a little ridiculous at the time, particularly in light of the fact that were aspiring to be real warriors, tough battle-hardened SEALs, but the wisdom of this simple act has been proven to me many times over.

If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can't do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.

And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made — that you made — and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.”

(Comments on how taking care of basics each day adds to our successes – not just making your bed, but taking care of those foundational spiritual basics.)

The second moral is:  You can learn to press-out the wrinkles in your life, but you have to be careful and realize there will always be more wrinkles to press out.

Story of Nic

I learned early about pressure and wrinkles.

I remember someone telling me not to put my fingers near the wringer of an old washing (probably my Grandma’s) because my fingers or my arm could bet squished and broken.  I remember my mother with a basket of clean clothes selecting shirts from the pile to iron.  She would shake out the shirt and then sprinkle water on them from a pop bottle with a kind of miniature showerhead on it.  Then she would roll up the shirts and wait a few minutes until they were dampened.  Then she would iron the shirts in a certain order, which she taught me, collar, yoke, sleeves, cuffs then all the way around the shirt from the placket to the row of buttons.  When all the wrinkles were pressed from the shirt she’d put it on a hanger adding it to the pretty neat row of good smelling shirts.  One day, the skill of pressing shirts would come in handy for my grandson, Nic.  A few weeks ago Nic was preparing to go to his fist homecoming dance with a bunch of other boys.  His parents bought him a new outfit, slacks, shoes, tie, belt and a new white shirt   When it came close to the time to get dressed, his mom was busy and Nic set up the ironing board so he could press the fold lines out of shirt.  I watched from the sidelines with curiosity.  I could se he was going nowhere fast, so I asked him if he wanted me to teach him how to iron the shirt.  H looked relieved until he realized I wasn’t going to do it for him.  He had to apply the right amount of pressure in the right direction to get the wrinkles out, one by one.  A few times he made worse wrinkles and had to work more to make it straight and smooth.  He had to manage the amount of heat to prevent the shirt from scorching.  When he was done he had the look of satisfaction.  The next day I asked him how the dance went.  He said it was lame, they went to the dance for a few minutes then rode around in a car to find a place to eat and then sat in a parking lot.  But, hey, his shirt looked good!

We will always have wrinkles.   And either we keep at it, or we fall away, and slip back instead of pressing forward.  Remember in Lehi’s dream, people were pressing forward until they partook of the sweetness of the gospel.  Some fell by the way, distracted by the world’s ways, unable to make it as far as they could have.  Remember Nephi teaches us to press forward with a steadfastness in Christ. 

If you’re an “O” ring doing your job you stand up to a lot of heat and pressure.

If you make your bed daily, in a spiritual sense, applying habits like prayer, returning good for evil, forgiving others and having charity, you can withstand temptation and negative forces and press forward with faith.

If you tend to the wrinkles in your life, maybe you’ll figure out to wear permanent press, and live a life for Christ that will make some wrinkles take care of themselves.

(Bear testimony – love, gratitude.)

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

So dear readers, all 2 of you, do you have any experiences you could share where you had to press forward, or withstand negative pressures?  Your stories could help me and others.  Thanks.