The Compassionate Soldier

It is common to hear about the inhumanity of man during war. News reports give us atrocious details of the suffering and misery inflicted by war. That's what makes Jerry Borrowman's book The Compassionate Soldier so refreshing. In the midst of so many unpleasant stories, Borrowman has collected a few shining examples of men and women who stand out in history.

Every chapter in the book was good, but I will only highlight a couple. The first is Sergeant Richard Kirkland, a soldier in the Confederate Army. After a particularly difficult battle (especially for the Union soldiers), both sides were subjected to the tormented cries of the wounded on the battlefield. Finally, Sergeant Kirkland could stand it no longer and, after obtaining permission from the general, entered the field with as many canteens as he could carry and began attending to the wounded on both sides of the war. The Union soldiers were so startled that nobody fired a shot, and they began cheering when they saw what he was doing. Sergeant Kirkland made several trips, with gunfire ceasing on both sides every time his head emerged, until he had cared for every soldier on the battlefield. What an amazing story of compassion!

Another incredible story took place during World War II. Major General Dietrich von Choltitz of the Germany army was originally fiercely loyal to Adolf Hitler. He slaughtered enemies, and led his own men to the slaughter all to accomplish whatever Hitler ordered. That is what makes his story so remarkable. Towards the end of the war, Hitler placed von Choltitz Paris, which was Hitler's most-prized victory in the war. With the Allied troops gaining ground, Hitler ordered the major general to blow up the entire city if it seemed like the Nazis would not be able to keep it. The Furher cared nothing for the cultural treasures of the city that would be lost.

Von Choltitz, on the other hand, recognized that such destruction was nothing more than a vindictive move, and would be a tragedy if carried out. However, he also knew that if he did not carry out his orders, he and his family would be in grave danger and be seen as traitors. He had all intentions of being faithful to his orders, even placing the bombs strategically around the city. As uprisings began happening, he realized that he would very soon have to execute Hitler's orders. In a meeting with Raoul Nordling, the Swedish consul in France, von Choltitz asked him to get word to the Allies. In a traitorous move, he asked for the Allies to help him save Paris. Despite many last-minute telegrams and messages ordering him to destroy the city as the Allies descended upon it, von Choltitz felt a greater need to serve humanity, rather than the insane dictator.

There are so many more stories like this in the book. Anybody who likes to read true, less-known war stories would enjoy Borrowman's work.

Unshattered

One of the best-selling biography titles in my store this year is Unshattered by Carol J. Decker with Stacey K. Nash. The book is Carol's story, and what a story it is! When she was thirty-three weeks along in her second pregnancy, something felt terribly wrong. She went to the hospital, where she was eventually rushed for an emergency C-section. The C-section itself took only ten minutes. But Carol was in the operating room for a long time afterwards. Finally, her husband, Scott, got the news from the doctor: Carol had sepsis and was in septic shock.

The toxins released into the blood by sepsis eventually cost Carol her two feet, one hand, a finger on the other hand, and her eyesight. When she was being wheeled in for surgery, nobody had any idea it was the last time she would ever see her family. She never got to see the face of her second daughter.

Carol's story is raw, real, and beautiful. She is very frank and honest about what it was like to feel completely shattered, to have your life seemingly stolen from you. She is honest about her bad days--of which she had many. It was not an easy journey from her first surgery to where she is now.

But her story is still beautiful and one of hope. Slowly, she learned to let go of the parts of her life that were gone, but likewise learned to embrace the parts she retained and the parts that were new. She had a lot of help along the way. After expressing her sadness that she'd never be able to make cookies or cook with her daughters, Erin, their nanny, involved Carol in making cookies and pizza. Through the help of others, she slowly began to realize that there were so many things she could still do.

Carol's family was an incredible support to her. Her husband wore so many hats, yet never faltered in his love for her and determination to make her life as full and wonderful as possible. Her two brothers would spend days on end with her at the hospital. Her parents were there for her. Sadly, one of her brothers died of an overdose. Going to his funeral was hard, but also a turning point for Carol, as she found new purpose in her life through comforting the survivors in her family.

Although she has made so much progress and been able to do incredible things like surf, snorkel, and ski, Carol acknowledges that there are probably still many challenges ahead. But she doesn't despair because of them. She has learned to choose a beautiful life.

Melchizedek Priesthood

I was excited earlier this year when Dale G. Renlund and Ruth Lubbert Renlund wrote The Melchizedek Priesthood together. In the preface to the book, the authors explain that the book actually evolved from study and discussions that they had together. The book is a collection of their thoughts and insights on the Melchizedek Priesthood based upon what they learned from the scriptures and teachings of Church leaders.

Right off the bat the authors make an important distinction about what the priesthood is. The example they use is the term "earth." The word "earth" can either mean the planet we live on, or it can mean topsoil. While the planet Earth certainly includes topsoil, topsoil does not encompass the planet Earth. Likewise, priesthood is referred to as the power of God, but also the power delegated to man. The power delegated to man would be the topsoil in our example.

They talk about how the priesthood blesses both the priesthood holder, and blesses others. They point out that Abraham mentions a few specific blessings to the priesthood holder such as "greater happiness, peace and rest, righteousness, knowledge, and family blessings." However, the primary purpose of the priesthood is to bless others. The priesthood makes the covenants and ordinances of the Lord available to the world, allowing all of God's children full access to the blessings of the Atonement.

They talk about the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood and point out that it is always God who swears the oath, giving us full confidence in Him that He will fulfill His promises. In their footnotes, the authors also quote modern prophets who explain that we enter an oath ourselves through the ordinances. Priesthood holders are commanded obey the following commandments:

1. Pay attention to the words of life, because they need to live by every word that comes from God
2. Share the fullness of the Gospel of Christ with everyone 
3. Do not boast of miracles in their priesthood ministry
4. Become the Savior's friend

The last half of the book focuses on the doctrine of the Priesthood, and suggests how to obey these four commandments. Humility is required. Unity is required. Learning the attributes of the Savior and becoming like Him is required. The priesthood is meant to help us learn how to become more Christlike. It is a call to serve. It is a call to learn more of the Lord. As priesthood holders magnify their callings and the priesthood, they become more like God. The closer they come to being like God, the more readily are they able to use the priesthood.

I really enjoyed this book, and it will have a permanent home on my shelf. This is a book that I think every priesthood holder would benefit from as they read it. I am grateful I had the opportunity to do so.

Watch and Be Ready

I really enjoyed the book Watch and Be Ready by Brent L. Top. The message of the book is how to prepare spiritually for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Too often we might find ourselves so absorbed with the Signs of the Times that we neglect to focus on being ready for "the time." Even less productive is trying to calculate the day of the Savior's return based on signs and interpretation of scripture.

Top compares us in many ways to children on a road trip to Disneyland who keep asking how much farther they have to go. The driver can answer with the exact number of miles, but small children will not be able to comprehend the answer and so keep asking how much further. In that sense, we are like little children who keep asking when the Second Coming is. The author points out that between Matthew 24 and 25, the verses on the Savior's discourse on preparation outnumbers his discourse on signs four to one! This gives us an idea of where our attention should be when it comes to preparing for the Second Coming.

The fact is, many of the "signs of the times" have been present in every generation since the Savior first gave the warnings. The author points out that there is a purpose for this--to make sure we are always spiritually ready. In fact, in the Doctrine and Covenants, we are taught to live as if he is coming tomorrow. The signs aren't given to help us know the exact date the Savior is returning; they are meant to be a reminder to us to be spiritually prepared.

So what do we do to spiritually prepare? We need to be like the Savior. We need to develop charity. This includes having attributes such as forgiveness, kindness and compassion. There are certainly very troubling times ahead. The scriptures warn that if it is possible, even the very elect will be deceived. Only the most faithful and the most believing will abide the day of the Lord's Second Coming. With this in mind, how important it is to be spiritually ready!

Courage to Be You

Courage to Be You by Gail Miller is a fantastic, candid book. At one point in her book, Gail recognizes that for a long time she was merely known as "Larry's wife" because her husband, Larry H. Miller, is so widely known because of his businesses, ownership of the Utah Jazz, and more. But one day Gail realized the importance that she herself has. It was part of her journey to have courage to be herself.

Although the author is a billionaire, I found the entire book to be something I could relate to. She is very personable with her examples. While she does talk a little about their wealth, she also explains how uncomfortable talking about money makes her. She talks about how she and her late husband decided together that money would never change them. They always wanted to use the money to do good in the world. A couple of examples of this stood out to me.

After her husband was made a member of a board of trustees, he would get a paycheck for each meeting he attended. Instead of depositing the check, he would cash it, and put all of the money in a coat pocket in the closet. This money was meant for Gail to use at a moment's notice if she found somebody in need, no questions asked. If any money was left over at the end of the year, it was all used to help somebody with Christmas. The Miller family never kept a penny of the checks Larry would get for being a board member.

I loved the way that the author talks about money. Obviously some money is a necessity, but the focus should just be on having sufficient for our needs. After that, it doesn't matter how much money you have. What matters is how much good you can do with what you have. This makes me think of the parable of the talents. Miller explains that she has always been careful with money--even now. Recently a soap dispenser in her home broke. Although she has plenty of money to go out and buy a new one, she knew she could just as easily fix the dispenser she had, and find a better use for the money elsewhere.

But money was just a small part of what the author wrote about. She also talks about the value of hard work, and making sure that we teach it to our children, not shelter them from it. She talks about choosing friends wisely, putting family first, learning to serve, and moving forward and not letting the past dominate the future.

One last thing I loved is the open relationship that Gail and Larry eventually created. When he came home from work, he would soak in the bathtub while sharing all the details of the day with her. This led to her feeling actively involved with the company and feeling like a true partner with her husband. Even though she eventually learned to be her own person and find her own voice, Gail also learned how to be an equal partner with her husband at the same time. I found that both profound and beautiful.

Cleaning the Kingdom

Last year at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA I got to meet both Ken Pellman and Lynn Barron, authors of Cleaning the Kingdom and hosts of the podcast The Sweep Spot. I had heard about their book previously from the Facebook group that I belong to, and so I decided to purchase it from the authors and have them sign it.

The book covers just about every topic you could imagine that sweepers at Disneyland would experience. The authors shared some insider information on how the park works (which sometimes got really repetitive as they described what cleaning each land was like), but the authors also included a lot of fun history and cast member perspectives of park events and changes.

Some of the stories were disturbing (it's crazy to learn about what some guests try to get away with at the park!) while other stories that, although maybe gross in nature, were pretty hysterical. I think my favorite story was of when Disneyland was doing a circus theme and had real elephants marching down Main Street. Elephants urinate more than horses do, and the cast members were unprepared for that. They had just filled a barrel with elephant urine, when the barrel tipped over and sent a wave towards the guests on the curb watching the parade. I am SO glad I wasn't there for that, but it was sure funny to read about later!

Having read the book once, I don't think I would ever read the whole thing again. It seems to be more useful as a reference book. But the authors did a great job telling their stories and they maintain an entertaining voice to read throughout the book.

Moroni's Guide to Surviving Turbulent Times

John Bytheway is a fantastic speaker and author, and his skill is apparent yet again in his book Moroni's Guide to Surviving Turbulent Times. Bytheway essentially goes through everything written by Moroni, and teaches what we can learn from him. Quite a few things stood out to me.

Moroni first introduces himself by explaining what has happened. His father is dead, along with all of his relatives. Moroni is alone. But then he doesn't dwell on that fact. He moves on to address us, the reader, to warn us of the very things that destroyed his own people. Then he focuses on Christ and trying to bring people to Christ.

I was surprised that the author summed up the entire book of Ether in just one chapter. But what I learned the most was Moroni's hope for a better world (see Ether 12). Moroni had nothing left in this world, but his faith in Christ and hope for a better world kept him going strong.

Moroni talks about avoiding enemy territory, knowing his enemies would seek his destruction. He talks about the Holy Ghost, who was certainly a close companion of his during those lonely years. Over and over again we see his attitude of not dwelling on the negative, but striving to be one in Christ.

This book is quick and easy to read, but it sure gives you a lot to ponder about!