Gremlins and Their Rules!

Look how cute!

Who's seen the movie Gremlins? If not, go see it... like, right now. If you have, how awesome is that movie? Pretty awesome. I love that movie, because it's not only highly entertaining, and filled with neat little creatures (both the Mogwai and the Gremlins), but it also teaches a very valuable lesson. Not just in how to defend yourself from attacking gremlins or responsibility for pets. The Mogwai come with three very specific, very easy directions to follow: Don't feed them after midnight, don't get them wet, avoid bright light. All you have to do is those simple things, and everything is alright. How hard is that? You just play with your little Mogwai, give him a cool name like Gizmo, follow the rules, and you have nothing to worry about. But of course, it being a movie, it would be quite boring if nothing went wrong. The rules are broken, and pandemonium breaks out. The adorable little Mogwai turns into a not-so-adorable Gremlin. Cue zany antics, more mishaps, and lots of entertainment, and you've got yourself a great movie! But how much easier would life have been for Billy had he just followed the rules?

Oh geez!

Billy's story isn't too different from us. There are rules we have to follow all the time: traffic rules, rules in the classroom, rules our parents give us. There are lots of rules out there. But, most are pretty darn simple to follow. We think about the gospel: We're given rules, commandments, to follow. They're not at all difficult. We aren't expected to do anything we can't handle, and are promised great blessings in return. It should be pretty simple to just go through with it. And of course, just like with the Mogwai, there are consequences to not following these simple rules. These repercussions can make things very difficult for us. We don't want to have to deal with negative side effects, and luckily can very easily avoid that, simply by following the commandments. We can keep our Gizmo a cute, furry little Mogwai, and not have to worry about dealing with a scaly, malicious Gremlin. So, are we willing to follow the simple instructions, and avoid having things get out of hand?

The Gospel according to a Nerd: Part 4

Another day, another post, another chance to show off my nerdiness. It's been a couple days, and hopefully you've all just been sitting on my blog page pressing "refresh" over and over again, hoping a new post would pop up. Well sorry to keep you waiting, but here it is, part 4 in my nerdy saga!
I'm actually kinda well known in the Montana Billings Mission. There are a few things people know me for: 1) Kermit (don't ask). 2) Being a convert (not the only one, though). 3) My school ID pictures (they're pretty famous, see my blog post "Changes" to see a pre-mission pic). 4) My love, and seemingly endless knowledge, of Harry Potter.
I'm a huge fan of those books. Have been since I was like 10 years old (or so) and first starting reading them. I've read the entire series multiple times (several times). I pretty much know the books inside and out. Have a question? I'm a pretty good source to turn to. I've also done some research as to the future of the characters (J.K. Rowling has done some interviews where she actually tells you what becomes of several of the characters). See, I told you... I'm a nerd. But I'm okay with that (as I've stated, and you can plainly see). I'm actually quite proud of my Harry Potter knowledge. I actually had a running joke with Elder Matthews while we were companions: whenever I felt we should change the subject, or there was an awkward silence, I would say "So, anyways, in Harry Potter...". I usually wouldn't say anything, but then he'd challenge me to tell him something new... and I did.
Being such a big fan, I'm also a bit of a purist. I love the books, and have watched all the movies (except, obviously, the 7th one as it came out while on my mission, but that is definitely going to be the first movie I watch when I get back). I'm not terribly impressed with the movies, overall. Some were good from a strictly movie standpoint, but the only ones that were good adaptations were the first two, which are the most boring. There are so many details that are so important and necessary that are often just left out of the movies. I have often felt that they should have waited until all 7 books were out before making the movies, guaranteeing that all the details that were available, and all the pieces could be included. But no. Hollywood... what can ya do? Obviously, Harry Potter was not the only book/comic book/play/whatever-to-movie adaptation that kinda missed the mark, but it's the one I'm choosing to focus on right now.
And now... tie in to the Gospel...
Throughout centuries, things have been changed. Different people have had control of things, either as broad as Christianity in general, or even just the Bible. Following the crucifixion of Christ, the Apostles were killed off, until they were all gone, and the authority that Christ had given them, the Priesthood, the right and authority to act in the name of God, was gone from the earth. As such, we entered into the Great Apostasy. In this time, doctrines were distorted, the Bible was translated and altered, parts taken out, and all this decided by mere men, and the fullness of the Gospel was lost. Many plain and precious truths were lost. We were left with bits and pieces of what Christ had organized and set up, and did our best to fill in the gaps. We all want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and we want to see it unravel before our eyes. We want to see exactly what happened in the 6th Harry Potter book portrayed exactly on the screen (as that one is probably the most exciting). We want that entirety. Unfortunately for purist Harry Potter fans who want to see that perfect book-to-movie adaptation, that isn't going to happen, but for the people out there seeking truth, seeking more, and wanting that fullness that's missing, that does exist. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true and living church of Jesus Christ. It is the fullness of the Gospel, restored in its entirety. No missing pieces, no wanting of answers, no plain and precious truths gone. Everything is there, in its entirety. So, while we may not always get the perfect adaptation, we can be comforted in knowing that, where perfection and completeness really matter, it's there. We have the fullness, we have the truth. This is the Lord's Church.