Sunday, March 29, 2009

Where Is the Place?

Genre: Religious
Artist: Steven Kapp Perry
Album: Come to the House of the Lord

This song is absolutely beautiful. It begins with a lonely singer who is trying to find peace on earth, and wondering if it really exists. She longs for a place that her heart can find home, where heaven and earth embrace. Then the choir answers her that such a place does exist in the temple. There she will find rest and revelation. Together, the choir and singer proclaim that just like Adam and Eve, we are all outcasts of Eden and trying to find our way Home again. The temple helps us achieve that purpose.

I was first introduced to this song when my beloved bishop, Bishop Harris, passed away. The ward choir sang it at his funeral. I love Bishop Harris. I remember how he would stand by the door and great everybody with a compliment. To my older sister, he always said, "Becky, you're my favor-right red-head." To me, he'd always say, "Kevin, you always bring such a great spirit to our meetings." He made us feel important and loved. I remember one Sunday in which my family didn't go to church. It seems like we were coming back from California or something. Anyway, Bishop Harris called us that evening to see if everything was alright and told us that he missed us at church. He was a great man!

Bishop Harris also was there when I received the Aaronic Priesthood and was ordained a deacon. He is the one who set me apart as the Deacon Quorum President and I remember the blessing he gave me to this day. I remember his push for temple attendance and had the entire ward focused on it. He worked a lot with the youth. I always felt like he was one of my best friends, even though I was only twelve or thirteen. What bishop has time for a twelve or thirteen-year-old? He did.

Shortly before he passed away, he got up in sacrament meeting and apologized to the ward because at the hospital, they had read his charts wrong and almost administered the wrong care, which would have killed him. He had gotten angry with the hospital staff for their carelessness. He apologized to us for not representing the Church well. I thought to myself during his apology, "Wow! I have Nephi for my bishop!" Nephi felt bad for getting angry because his brothers wanted to kill him. I wish that was my biggest sin. Well, maybe except for the part where my brothers want to kill me. I could live without that.

Every now and then I go to Bishop Harris's grave and I think about him. I always come away with a resolve to do better. He is one of the best men that I have ever known. I hope to one day be as great as him.