When Heaven Feels Distant

The book When Heaven Feels Distant by Tyler J. Griffin caught me off guard when I read it. I wasn't expecting to learn so much and to gain so many insights. Sometimes I hear a topic and think I've already heard everything on that topic, only to be pleasantly surprised. Such was the case with this book.

Often times, we don't understand our trials an why we have to go through them. We wish God would take away the hardships. Griffin points out that God doesn't send His children into the wilderness just to get somewhere, but to become something as well. We already lived in Heaven with perfect parents. We came to earth to become more than we were then.

I also loved his insight on the iron rod in the vision of the Tree of Life. The scriptures state that the rod was on the bank of the filthy river. We could look at this as a frustrating location. Why have the rod so close to where we could fall in? The author points out that perhaps the placement isn't for the people on the path--it is for the people in the river, so that they can reach out and grab the rod and be saved from drowning. I love that imagery!

In another part of the book, the author talks about vertical and horizontal sources and how we need to make sure we our getting our information from the Lord, not from others around us. He gives a description of five people, making some sound very favorable, and others not so much. Then he reveals the individuals described. Those who sounded best, were actually terrible people, and those who sounded worst were actually prophets and apostles. We need to make good use of the gift of discernment.

Towards the end of the book, he talks about what to do when family members are struggling, particularly with the Gospel. His advice is to do as Father Lehi did when Laman and Lemuel went their way. Lehi stayed at the tree. He did not go chasing after them, nor did the prodigal son's father chase him down. They stayed at the tree, and beckoned their family to join them. We can also learn from that example.

This was a really good book and I am glad I read it.

Last Laborer

Last Laborer: Thoughts and Reflections of a Black Mormon is a very thought-provoking work by Keith N. Hamilton. I have had this book on my shelf for a while, and decided it was finally time to read it. I'm glad I did. This is a book that will definitely be a permanent part of my library.

The first half of the book covers the author's life. It was very insightful for me, as a white person, to understand the challenges that a person of african descent faces throughout his/her lifetime. I learned a lot from the book, and really appreciated the author's honesty and perspective. I also learned a lot of history. For example, I didn't realize that when a lot of slaves were freed, they took upon themselves the last name of their last owner because they didn't have last names up to that point. So the author's last name (Hamilton) actually comes from a slave owner who was distantly related to Alexander Hamilton. I learned that not all former slaves did this, and some later renounced the name to have no association with their former master, but in general it was a common practice.

The author's life was very interesting to read about. He has a great sense of humor, but he is also very honest. But I really enjoyed the second half of the book, where the author talks about the issue with blacks and the Priesthood from his own perspective and testimony, along with the scriptures and words of latter-day prophets.

I was amazed at how much false doctrine and false traditions I have grown up with concerning this matter. Everything can be summarized by the statement that the ban was instituted by God and was lifted by Him as well. The author has a very strong testimony of this. He is also very clear that he does not know why God ever instituted the ban in the first place, but He knows that God is the source and he trusts God enough to not worry about it for now.

He debunks rumors and clears up false doctrine. A common explanation for the Priesthood ban is that it is because those of african descent are descendants of Cain, who was a murderer. The author points out the lineage of Jesus Christ, who descended from David--both an adulterer and a murderer who lost his exaltation. Does this ancestry diminish who the Savior is? Of course not. So it is with blacks.

Another common teaching is that the ban was put in place because black people were born in their circumstances because they were less valiant in the pre-mortal life. Not only is there absolutely no scriptural basis for this, but there are actually many scriptures that teach the opposite. Take the man who was born blind. The Lord's disciples asked if it was the man who sinned in the pre-mortal world, or his parents sinned, that caused him to be born blind. Jesus answered that neither was the case, but he was born in these circumstances so that the glory of God could be made manifest.

Likewise, look at the circumstances surrounded the birth of the Savior. He was born in a  stable and slept in the manger for his first bed. He was born to refugee parents in a nation that was oppressed and controlled by another nation. Do those sound like favorable circumstances? No. Were those circumstances a consequence of a level of valiance in the pre-mortal life? No. The author actually teaches that those born in unfavorable circumstances, such as the Savior, are born in such because it is necessary to be in those circumstances to accomplish the mission they were sent to perform.

The book is great, and I especially enjoyed reading it just after the Be One celebration put on by the Church to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the revelation on the Priesthood. I am grateful to Keith Hamilton for writing this book and opening my eyes a little more on the subject.