On the afternoon of Wednesday, September 30, 1998, a Little League football team in Inkom, Idaho, was out on the field for its midweek practice. They had completed their warm-ups and were starting to run a few plays from scrimmage. Dark clouds were gathering, as they sometimes do in the fall, and it began to rain lightly, but that was of no concern to a group of boys who loved playing football.
Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, an absolutely deafening crack of thunder split the air, inseparable from the flash of lightning that illuminated, literally electrified, the entire scene.
(this is not A. J. it is someone else)
At that very moment a young man A. J. Edwards, was ready for the ball on a handoff that was sure to be a touchdown in this little intersquad bit of horseplay. But the lightning that had illuminated earth and sky struck A. J. Edwards from the crown of his football helmet to the soles of his shoes.The impact of the strike stunned all the players, knocking a few to the ground, leaving one player temporarily without his sight and virtually all the rest of the players dazed and shaken. Instinctively they started running for the concrete pavilion adjacent to the park. Some of the boys began to cry. Many of them fell to their knees and began to pray. Through it all, A. J. Edwards lay motionless on the field.
David Johnson, rushed to the player’s side. He shouted to coach Rex Shaffer, “I can’t get a pulse. He’s in cardiac arrest.” These two men, rather miraculously both trained emergency medical technicians, started a life-against-death effort in CPR. Cradling A. J.’s head as the men worked was the young defensive coach of the team, 18-year-old Bryce Reynolds. As Bryce Reynolds offered a prayer and blessing, A. J. Edwards drew his first renewed breath.
The ongoing prayers, miracles, and additional priesthood blessings of that entire experience—including a high-speed ambulance drive to Pocatello and a near-hopeless LifeFlight to the burn center preserved his life. It is sufficient to say that a very healthy and very robust A. J. Edwards is in the audience tonight with his father as my special guests."
Today I am looking at this miraculous event re-told by Jeff Holland from a different perspective. This story illuminates me. I'm seeking all the additional light I can find while walking through the many shadows encountered while raising children.
These days our lives are littered with seemingly limitless, and often confusing choices created by masterful and perfected sciences of manipulation and marketing. Even as lightning is an excellent metaphor for false light when compared to the sun, it is clearly exciting and fun to witness.... until it strikes close to someone you love. Just ask A.J., his friends or his parents and siblings.
I have studied, researched and witnessed the billions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of hours spent by intentional packs of men and women who are perfecting the language and ability to better manipulate and influence the human psyche - into choosing what they want sold (services, products and philosophies). These flashy, well pitched, well timed and expertly written options are carefully presented to us as caramel covered onions (not apples). Do you really believe these packs of individuals have our best interest in mind?
What do I mean by manipulate and influence? One example is, during a 21 minute TV show, in between 9 minutes of skipped or seen commercials, each "show" may have 10,000 or more purposely placed products that are highly researched, carefully tested and chosen by experts. Each item pays for its place in the show and is therefore strategically set at critical key points in dialogue, views and angles. Experts fill the hollow sets where the actors perform to sometimes empty audiences that are later filled in with well scripted recordings of laughter, oohs and aahhs. These product placements are often integrated seamlessly to appear harmless and normal and cool. They are endorsed by a celebrity, often at the price of failing to tell a real story or delivering memorable entertainment in exchange for our 21 minutes of time.
When we were children there was a distant sound that used to stir our parents while we slept at night. It is now moving boldly into the light of day. As parents we must wake up and teach our children and those we care about to hear the sound of these wolf packs who howled around us when we were young and naive. Could they really be stalking our children in almost every view of every waking moment?
While I like nice things as much as the next guy and I don't work for free. Take a moment and answer, Where isn't advertising? Then look around and see the lighting strikes - the logos and emblems, music, tv, printed pages, boxes, bags, images on your computer and your phone? Each purveyor of product or philosophy has an intention of using our familiarity and sometimes numbness to their tactics, as well as our children's naivete' and vulnerability to satisfy their own self seeking wants, often at great price.
Like the story above, how quickly are many to flee to safety when lightning strikes your child? How few are prepared and also have the courage to stand against the raging storms and potential threats to help rescue him? Are you prepared? I am definitely a work in progress.
Maybe you can relate to seeing and feeling the gale winds blowing stronger against our kids futures? I see it as a challenge. As we prepare ourselves as parents, neighbors and friends who value those closest to us, we will appeal to the Light in others. The innate strength within them to get back up and keep moving forward.
As parents, family members and friends we are called to rescue the innocent, the needy, the deceived, the downtrodden and those looking for peace amidst the roar of thousands of choices who don't know where to find hope and comfort, safety and peace. We are fighting an often unseen, but clearly felt enemy.
We are never alone and can rely on the Savior, Jesus Christ. Each day that we remember prayer and scripture study we are made stronger. Our senses are sharpened, armor thickened, so that we might not fall or be fooled by the subtle craftiness of men who lie in wait to deceive.
Even as three prepared men collectively rushed to save a boy's life, they also worked to keep a family intact and enabled A.J. to live a lifetime paying his debt forward to others as he feels is best. Inspiring leaders, friends, teachers and neighbors are available to help us bless our family and friends lives - if we seek them, we will find those who can help. Working together we will be that much stronger against those who would use our family and friends for their own selfish reasons. (link story of prince)
Let's help them be prepared when someone they know will be in trouble - who will need their hands, prayers and blessings to survive.
Side Note: Read Pres Monson's uncondensed talk: http://lds.org/liahona/2001/01/sanctify-yourselves?lang=eng
Bryan Packham
www.i2i2blog.blogger.com
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