My Mormon Third Eye: I See... the Other Side of Scripture Power

Sunday, September 6, 2015

I See... the Other Side of Scripture Power

Editors note: This actually happened. I have witnesses.

The Mormon Third Eye is a documented fine connoisseur of BYU football fandom. The pageantry and prose of it all are woven into this blog's DNA.

I likewise have a similar appreciation for the power of scriptural prophecy to protect our souls from evil. I recognized it's awesome power long before the primary song became popular and scripture mastery became a required seminary skill.

These two wide wonderful worlds of the MTE magically collided on a steamy yesterday afternoon in. Lincoln, Nebraska and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Image result for byu vs nebraska football

The BYU Cougars were playing the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln; I was enjoying the game from my couch in Raleigh. The True Blue BYU in me was not adverse to calling upon any available source of strength to support my beloved Cougars in their seemingly impossible quest to win an Nebraskan home opener, a fantastic feat that had not been accomplished since before the birth of my grown son and his wife. They would need some help. I went to the scriptures.

Just after the game started I leaned over to my wife relaxing on the same couch and carefully explained the severity of the situation. I dramatically pointed to my uncut sheet of seminary scripture mastery cards from my side of the couch and proclaimed that if BYU's situation ever approached the utterly hopeless, I would start punching out the cards and organizing them as a last ditch effort to call upon the powers of heaven on their behalf. Her measured response was to quickly scoot to the other side of the couch; she did not want to get accidentally singed by the sacrilegious thunder that would surely strike me down.

Image result for scripture mastery cards

At the opening of the 4^th quarter my Cougars were in trouble. The Cornhuskers were ahead 28-24 after a touchdown scored on the heels of a poorly thrown Taysom Hill pass. The tide had turned in Nebraska's favor; they were wearing down our defense by chewing up time on offense, and we were quickly losing hope. In a desperate plea to restore hope, I instinctively reached for the uncut sheet of scripture mastery cards and started punching them out and organizing.

What happened next will live forever in the history of the Mormon Third Eye (or at least as long as blogs are extant on the Internet, which could be a very long time). As I slowly, systematically ran my fingers along the perforated edges of each card, BYU gently came alive and stopped Nebraska on some third downs. Hope was turning in our direction. By the time I arrived at Malachi 4:5-6, and the hearts of the children were turning to their fathers, it was 4^th and 42 with one second left. BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum then proceeded to smite Nebraska with a Hail Mary touchdown pass to senior Mitch Matthews.

Image result for byu vs nebraska hail mary pass

Scripture Power!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

The Mormon Third Eye Quote of the Week

"As men of the priesthood, we have an essential role to play in society, at home, and in the Church. But we must be men that women can trust, that children can trust, and that God can trust. In the Church and kingdom of God in these latter days, we cannot afford to have boys and men who are drifting. We cannot afford young men who lack self-discipline and live only to be entertained. We cannot afford young adult men who are going nowhere in life, who are not serious about forming families and making a real contribution in this world. We cannot afford husbands and fathers who fail to provide spiritual leadership in the home."

Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Priesthood Session Conference, October 2012

Why My Mormon Third Eye?

When I politely excused myself in the middle of dinner to make a bathroom stop, how did Mom know that I had uneaten peas in my pocket to flush down the toilet? When I came home late from a youth dance and slid quietly into bed to avoid waking parental units, how did Dad know, without looking at the car, that I smashed in the front bumper? When I watch my daughter play a video game, how do I know that she's not ready for her Geometry final?

Its the Third Eye. The notorious eye in the back of the head, the extra view of life that God blesses parents striving to do the right thing so they can see more of life than the children they chase after.

Our third eye also permits us to see things and feel emotions that are too refined, too far on the edge of our standard two-eyed peripheral vision to enjoy in its fullness. I've learned that I have a Mormon Third Eye; that is, as a life-long, fully-dedicated member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have unique perspective on how the doctrines of the gospel and the demands of my faith in them intersect every other part of my mortal existence to create the entertaining, self-deprecating kaleidoscope of my life.

So... for those of you bold and bored enough to read this far, every so often I'll be sharing here what my Mormon third eye sees. Third eyes are relatively huge; they see the humorous, the entertaining, the embarrassing, the beautiful, the inspirational, and even the moral and political; however, they tend to ignore the evil, depressing and destructive: there is enough of that in world already!

The Four Secrets to Successful Living

Always Go Where There is Free Food - This includes ward and work parties, wedding receptions and missionary open houses; the money you spend to buy the ingredients for the world-famous triple chocolate cake you bring doesn’t count.
Never Pay Full Price for Anything – See my posts on Black Friday escapades for more information on this.
Never, Ever Press the Red Button - Usually, if you are faced with a red button somewhere, don’t press it – it usually means trouble. For example, the red button launches the missiles. Do yourself a favor and don’t press it.
Any Problem You Face Can Be Solved With Bungee Cords and Duct Tape - Bungee cord and duct tape technology has saved many marriages and ward parties. I’m not just talking about problems with plumbing or keeping groceries from bouncing around the trunk; I know of relationship and family issues that have been solved with creative applications of these two substances.