David Butler - Spirit: The Gift That Connects You To Heaven

2020 David Butler

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Deseret Book Company, at permissions@deseretbook.com or PO Box 30178, Salt Lake City, Utah 84130. This work is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The views expressed herein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church or of Deseret Book Company.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Butler, David (Seminary teacher), author.

Title: Spirit : the gift that connects you to heaven / David Butler.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020014854 | ISBN 9781629727783 (trade paperback) | eISBN 978-1-62973-970-0 (eBook)

Subjects: LCSH: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsDoctrines. | Holy Spirit. | Gift of the Holy Ghost (Mormon theology) | Mormon ChurchDoctrines.

Classification: LCC BX8643.H63 B88 2020 | DDC 231/.3dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020014854

Printed in the United States of America

LSC Communications, Crawfordsville, IN

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Book design Deseret Book Company

Art direction by Richard Erickson

Design by Shauna Gibby

Just so you knowI am a movies guy. I love movies. If it is ten minutes to midnight and I have to wake up for work the next morning at 5:00 a.m. and you invite me to go to the middle-of-the-night opening showingIm all in! I cant say no. Its not in my DNA. (But only under the condition that we are there for the previewsthey are my favorite part!)

I like watching movies in the theater, movies on the basement couch, movies on the plane, movies on my phone, movies with a fox, in a box, and with green eggs and ham. I legit love movies. There is no chance I could tell you my favorite one, because it changes on the daily, but if you are looking for a good one for tonight, I am going to recommend Field of Dreams . I cry every time I watch it. It has stayed in my top-five favorite movies for a hundred years.

I am not sure how many total hours I have logged with Hollywood, but enough to be a bona fide movie expert. I know what makes a movie good. So with that claim, I will tell you that the best movies ever made are the ones that show a heros journey. And not just an adventure type of journey (although those are the easiest to stay awake for during those midnight showings), but a journey that leads the hero through struggles and changes and overcoming. Where the heroes learn something about themselves (or they are reminded: Simba... remember who you are). Where they become someone newsomeone better. These are the blockbuster hits. The movies that really speak to the soul! The classics.

I think one of the reasons I like movies like that is because they show me what can happen in an entire lifetime in just two hours (or like nine hours if its a good trilogy). These stories resonate with usthey echo on our insidesbecause thats why each of us is here on earth.

But, oh man, it can be tough. Tough is part of the program. And unfortunately, we dont get to speed through the hard parts with one of those three-minute inspirational songs that show the main character in the movie training and falling down and failing and getting back up again and waking up early and all of that until the person is ready for whatever the challenge is (you know what Im talking about??). We have to live it. Every minute of it. Or some of the wise among us might saywe get to live it.

President Russell M. Nelson, one of those wise ones, stood up at his first general conference after being sustained the new prophet and President of the Church and said this goose-bump-giving line about the journey: Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory.

When I first heard him say that, I let out a little, Believe that! Come on with that glory and majesty! What a day to be alive! Then he kept going...

That one made me look over at the people I was watching with. What?? Wait. Whats that mean? Survival? Go back and do that first line again. The glory one. I liked that one. It made me cheer. The second one scared me. But, actually, the more I have thought about it, Ive realized this second line should make me cheer too. Cheer that we have a prophet who is seeing or sensing something coming and teaching us how to come out in glorious victory. And then cheer even louder that through this journey we are onthis one of overcoming and becoming we do not have to do it alone. Like every hero in every good movie, we have a loyal companion by our side. We have

who will guide, direct, and comfort. We have the promise and privilege of the constant influence of the Holy Ghost.

President Nelson isnt the only one to make this sort of promise. In fact, he was echoing Jesus Christs words from nearly two thousand years ago. Picture Jesus sitting with His eleven closest disciples. (Judas, the betrayer, had already bailed by this time, the money bag he traded those majestic opportunities for dangling from his belt.) They had just enjoyed a wonderful dinnerthe food most certainly was good, but the conversation is what got the five-star rating. They were all gathered together for what many of them didnt know would be their last supper as a team with Jesus.

But then the conversation turnedfrom good to gulpslike in President Nelsons talk. Jesus told them the world was going to hate them and persecute them like it did Him. That rulers would kick them out of the churches and some of them would be killed. And then, after all of that, this kickerJesus told them, And... I am leaving you. Well, that went sour pretty quickly. There must have been a silent pause, because Jesus then said, None of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? (John 16:5) That is a natural question when someone says he is leaving, right? Especially on the eve of super hard times. Wait! Where are you going?? We were okay with danger if we knew you were going to be there with us. But instead they just sat therepretty shocked, I imaginewith sad eyes and sadder hearts. But then Jesus promised them this: