Visit from a General

Last night I had the chance to attend an awesome priesthood meeting and listen to some choice words from Major General Brain Tarbot, Adjunct General of the Utah National Guard & an awesome Priesthood Warrior.  He spoke to us about putting on the Armor of God and told stories about his service and the fine young men that he has worked with over the years.  It was a truly inspirational evening.  Some of the highlights that he shared were:

• He spoke about real armor on people, vehicles and fortifications then compared that to the spiritual armor that we must dress in daily.
• He shared his insights on war and what we learn about it from the Book of Mormon. 
• He told us that all warfare, physical and spiritual, boils down to battles over agency.  The ability to choose liberty and happiness or bondage and death.
• He described the awesome feeling of walking out on the flight lines and seeing Moroni's Title of Liberty stenciled on the side of an Apache Attack helicopter!  THAT'S COOL!

• He talked about the YM being today's Strippling Warriors in these spiritual battles.
• He noted that we are all veterans.  We all fought in the war that began in heaven.  When he said this a YM behind me said to his Dad that this life on earth must be our "second deployment" then because that battle is still waging.  How awesome was that!

He concluded his remarks by challenging us all to ARMOR UP! (Spiritually) and to be ready because we ARE AT WAR.

I had a couple of thoughts of my own that I noted.

• To ARMOR UP! Requires true and honest daily prayer and scripture study. Especially in the Book of Mormon.
• If the YM are the Stripling Warriors of today...doesn't that make the adult leaders the Helaman's, Moroni's, Teancum's and Lehi's of today? 

In all it was a highlight to be there and to be taught this great lesson on being a Priesthood Warrior.