Why Don't You Let Him?

I became a friend of Christ by seeking to do His works for over thirty years. Just before I turned nineteen, I gave my life to Him — not as a six-week or one-year test run. I gave Him my all for the remainder of my days, curious to see what He could do with me. That surrender followed a deep, still small voice that pierced the core of my soul with one question: "Why don't you let Him?"

I was driving to my job at a fast food chain when I heard the words of the living oracle — the prophet, seer, and revelator, and president of the Church — say, "The Lord can do more with your life than you can." He went on to say more, but as I pondered those words, the piercing Holy Spirit extended a lifelong invitation to come, follow Him.

I skipped a little higher on the way to work. If my current path of climbing the fast food chain could make me a multi-millionaire one day ... wow ... what could the Lord do? As you can see from that last thought, the Lord still had some work to do on an eighteen-year-old infatuated with MTV and status.

Now in my fifties, after many highs and lows, I am here to give back. As a true disciple I have been deeply blessed with a witness of the Lord through His Holy Spirit, and I am honored to be His friend. I bear the fruits of a man changed from the inside out, and I glory in my God for redeeming my soul from the depths of misery and filling me with the pure love of Christ. I marvel at what has become of me.

A poor only child, born to a corporate truck driver and a disabled mom, I never would have imagined graduating from college — especially after nearly bombing an ACT I was not prepared for. Nor would I have thought it possible to serve a mission for the Lord, let alone to open one in Outer Mongolia and learn a foreign language. Or to be married in the House of the Lord for nearly twenty-three years, with six wonderful children. And on wealth? What is wealth? It is to know the Lord — which I do! (See D&C 11:7.)

Again I marvel at God's tender mercies and rejoice in His joy-filled plan — a plan that included facing my greatest fear, a diagnosis of mental illness, and, like Job, overcoming it some twenty-three years later. Now, with this blog, I write to bestow hope upon those who can relate to my journey — to help you bridge the gap between living the checkboxes and becoming one with the Lord.

That means giving everything to Him: refining, purging, pruning, embracing, loving, being loved, work, effort, grace, power from on high — and the three secret ingredients that grant access to the secret sauce, the mind of God: hunger, humility, and a pure heart. If you really want to know Him, to be His friend, it requires your everything. Gradually, step by step, you draw nearer and nearer to Him, according to His timetable. I assure you He is real, and the joy and peace that surpass understanding are real and never-ending.

I have committed to giving full time, and this post is but a fraction of what I give freely. As one who has been lifted from low places, much is required of me — and this work fires me up. No grudges here. Thank you for being part of it. I invite you to join me in the Friend of Christ community on Skool, and if you're there already, join the weekly call on the calendar. I promise to give my all and to be of good cheer, pointing you to the Source, the Way — even Christ, my Friend — and much, much more.