One night I was driving in Park City and it was about that time when everyone picks up and goes out to socialize and drink. It was during spring break and there were lots of people taking advantage of the drinking establishments around town. College kids everywhere.
I got a ride to go up and pick up three people. When I got there, there were three young men, very excited to get their night going.
When I pulled up, I noticed that these were pretty large young men 6‘4“+ and they were loud and having a good time. They asked if they could put someone in the front seat. Normally, I don’t like that for safety reasons but I acquiesced, this time due to the fact that I didn’t see how all three could fit in the backseat together.
When they got in, I asked them where they were from. Two said, we go to the University of Alabama and the other said Auburn. I said, well, you guys aren’t supposed to like each other. Are you sure you’ll be OK back there in the backseat like that? They laughed and said they had been friends forever but they loved football so they got it. That night I happen to be wearing my blue stretch Y logo BYU hat.
I don’t know why I was wearing it. Normally I don’t wear it In Salt Lake, it can really hurt you. In and around Utah there are people that will not tip or will even give bad ratings because you identify with BYU.
The guy in the front seat said, how about you, BYU, Do you want to go get a drink with us? They all started to laugh. One said in a mocking tone, that’s right you can’t because of your honor code and all. Then they gave me the business about how the only real football is SEC football and that we could never make it in the big leagues, stuff like that.
I laughed and said so, we’re talking trash, huh? They laughed and said, always. I said I’ve got a question about Alabama, will you answer it for me? They said yes. I asked them why Alabama puts “roll Tide” on all of their gear. They were puzzled and said, we don’t know. I said, because they can’t spell elephant. They shouted, hey, and then started laughing. (Alabama’s mascot is an elephant for some inexplicable reason )
I have to confess that I didn’t come up with that all by myself. A lady I baptized about 10 years ago that is a huge LSU fan told me that joke just popped into my mind. I followed up quickly by saying, hey we did pretty good when we played you out there in the 90’s. We lost by a field goal. After that you canceled the return game in Provo that was promised. I guess we are a little too scary for ya’ll.
I said, you guys used to be great back when you were the only people paying their players but now that everyone can pay players it’s making it a little tough on you. I’m so sorry that happened to you.
By this time everyone was laughing, we all had our pound of flesh and we started talking about each university. They asked me if I knew any of the former players that had played at BYU. I told them that when I was in school I knew and was friendly with Steve Young. I was good friends with his brother Mike. I also showed them the picture I have with Andy Reid, who I also knew when I was at BYU. From that moment on, I had instant credibility.
I quoted President Samuelson, who said, when it comes to the SEC, we are at a bit of a competitive disadvantage. Football is their religion and we already have a religion.
The guy sitting in the passenger seat said, tell me about this honor code you guys have. Is it true that you can’t drink? What’s that all about?
I asked them if they were religious and they said that they were Christians. I said, great. That means you believe in the Bible. They said, yes, we do and all of the teachings of Jesus Christ. I said, perfect! We do too.
I said, we believe that the Bible was written by prophets and apostles. I said, these were people called by God to write his word he revealed his word to them, and they taught the people God’s word. They wrote his words. I said, that’s the Bible, the word of God.
The one in the seat next to me said, I didn’t think you guys believed in the Bible.
I thought you guys believed in the Book of Mormon. I said, yes, we do. We believe that they’re both the word of God because we believe that God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem.
They were caught a little off guard by that statement. They said, we believe God loves everyone too, what does the Book of Mormon have to do with that? I said, we believe that God shows his love to his children by giving them commandments and laws to live by. He does this so they’ll be happy. That’s what commandments are, rules to make us happy. They are guard rails so that we don’t fall off the cliff.
I said, for example, do either of you know someone that got divorced because of infidelity or had a child outside of marriage? They laughed and said, we know several. I said, how much peace do they have in their life with that situation. The one right next to me said, every person I know in that situation regrets it. Every person I know in that situation wishes they could go back and do it again and not make that mistake.
I asked, then, if they had obeyed the commandment would they have been happier? They said, yes. I said, these laws, that God gives us in the Bible and through his prophets are eternal. It’s a one-size-fits-all thing. It’s the same law for everyone in the world, regardless of where they live. They agreed.
I said, did God love the people who lived in America 2000 years ago? One of them said, yes God loves everyone. I said, would God withhold his love and happiness from them by withholding his word and his commandments? Would a loving God who is a loving father make sure all of his children had a pathway to happiness that would bring them home to him?
They said, that sounds more like it should be. I said, that’s why we have prophets. I said, prophets here in America wrote their revelations just like prophets in the Bible. Those revelations were translated by a prophet using the power of God. This is what we call the Book of Mormon. It is the word of God revealed through his prophets to the people who lived here in ancient America.
I said, we are the religion that believes that God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem. We believe that Jesus Christ died for all of our sins, not just the people who lived in Jerusalem. We believe that the gospel is the same for everyone and the rules are the same for everyone no matter where they live or when they lived. We believe that salvation is for everyone who will accept the gospel and follow the teachings of Jesus, regardless of when they lived or where they live. Not just Jerusalem and not just in modern times or favorable places. The Book of Mormon is a testament of Jesus Christ, his love and his sacrifice for every one of God‘s children.
The guy in the passenger seat said, that’s really cool. I never thought of the gospel like that. I said, if God loves everyone, if he is their father then why would he stack the deck against many of his children and make it impossible for them. I said, it’s kind of like playing a game at Alabama, you have to play the team and their officials. I couldn’t resist the dig! I said, Heavenly Father made sure that we all have the same opportunity to know his son, Jesus Christ. He gives us the opportunity to accept the gospel so that we can be saved. I said, if that weren’t the case, God would not be a loving and fair father. What kind of father would condemn most of his children without an opportunity?
The passenger next to me said, I like that. I’ve always had that question about what would happen to people that never heard of Jesus Christ. I said, Heavenly Father makes sure that every one of his children will hear about Jesus Christ and every one will have the opportunity to accept him through the gospel.
I said, we even have a prophet today in the world. He receives revelation from God and helps us. I said, today it’s chaotic and there are things that didn’t exist back when the scriptures were written. It’s important for us to have God’s take on how we need to act and react to those things. This is why we have a prophet and apostles today. They lead and guide us. That was the organization of the ancient church that Jesus founded and it’s the organization that exists today.
The way the conversation was going was really interesting in that everybody was participating, but to me, my focus kept being drawn to one of the guys. He was the one that was sitting in the passenger seat. He was genuinely interested in the things I was saying. I could tell that he was soaking it in.
On top of that I could feel the spirit in the car and I could tell he did too, so I turned to him and asked, how does it feel when you hear that? He said, It feels cool, it feels like it’s right. It makes so much sense. I said, the reason that it makes sense is because God sends his spirit when truth is being taught. His spirit confirms that truth to our hearts. That’s how we know that it’s right. He said, I agree with that.
I said, BYU is run under the direction of our prophet and apostles. One of the rules we have in our church is that we don’t drink, smoke or do drugs. We have been given a promise by our prophets that if we don’t do those things we will be physically stronger and mentally better. I said, it mentions that we will have great treasures of knowledge available to us. I said, that’s a promise from God through his prophets.
One of them said, well that makes a lot of sense. Everybody knows that drinking is stupid and then we go out and do it anyway because it’s fun! He said, it doesn’t take a prophet to know it’s bad though.
I asked him when it was that they started doing research on the damage these things do to your body. He said, I think about the mid-1900’s. Before then, pretty much everybody smoked and drank. Now they have warnings all over the place.
I said, our prophet gave us these warnings in the 1830’s. I asked, how did he know? Everybody was doing it. How could he have known?
I said, he knew because he was a prophet of God. He gave us this law so that we could be happy. He gave us this law so that we could be healthy. It’s part of the honor code at BYU that you asked about. Each person that goes to BYU has to sit down with their religious leader and promise that they won’t drink or party and that they won’t have sex out of marriage.
In a joking way one of them said, how many wives does a BYU football player get to have? He said, there’s a recruiting angle here. I said, the honor code restricts them to only one wife! Everyone laughed. I said, actually, the church practiced polygamy in the past, but it has been forbidden for the last 125 years. He said, so you guys are pretty much Christians. I said, yes, in every way. We believe in Christ and we believe that only through the atonement of Christ can we be saved and access his grace that saves us all. All three of them said amen.
One of them said that obeying those rules would cut down on a lot of drama, a lot of frustration and a lot of stress. He said, I’ve always wondered how BYU always manages to do so well. They have a cheat code called the honor code.
Everyone was kind of participating in the conversation but it was really funny, or better said interesting, how there just seemed to be almost a bond or a connection that developed between me and the passenger in the front seat. The other guys weren’t hostile, they were in and out of the conversation, but they were mostly making their plans for the evening while I spoke with the guy next to me.
He said, I have had a religion my whole life but I haven’t been religious. I’ve kind of felt lately that this part of my life was being ignored. Right now I feel like what you’re saying is scratching that itch. It’s like it’s something I’ve needed to hear. This is why I am here tonight.
We were pulling up to the place where they were meeting their friends for the evening activities. The guy sitting next to me said, I’ve been really impressed with the things you said. You are not at all what I expected a Mormon to be. Your friendly, you are normal and I felt the power of God in your words. How can I learn more? I told him that there are members of the church at his university. I told him that a girl in my neighborhood went on a mission down there so I know there are missionaries on campus of the University of Alabama. He asked, how do I find them?
Using his phone I jumped on the Meetinghouse locator and put in his address. The screen popped up the information that said what ward he belonged to, where they met and what time they met. It also had the name of the Bishop. I did a screenshot for him so that it would be in his photos. I said, if you go there, they will be able to help you learn more.
I asked him if he would like me to give him a Book of Mormon. He said, yes! I reached into my glove box to get that Book of Mormon but I was out. I had given out the last one the day before and I hadn’t replenished my stash. I said, normally I carry a Book of Mormon in my car with me to hand out but I am out.
I asked, how long are you guys going to be here? He said that they were going to leave in three days. I asked him if it would be OK if I dropped by the following day with a Book of Mormon for him. He said that would be amazing. We set a time for 5 o’clock the next day. .
The next day I took him his Book of Mormon. He told me that he had figured out where that church house was and that he was going to go when he got back.
I think it’s interesting that there were three people in the car and all were friendly and engaging regarding the gospel. One of them felt the spirit and was moved. Heavenly Father brings us along and the spirit speaks to us when we are ready to hear. I assume that down the line at some point the other two will be ready as well.
Sometimes God sends you a lift 