Grandfather Derrick

I remember as a child sitting in church and watching my grandfather Derrick on the stand. He was the Stake President at that time of the San Francisco Stake and had many duties and responsibilities that took him away from home. When we would go to his house during Stake Conference we would meet general authorities like Harold B. Lee, Spencer W. Kimball, N. Eldon Tanner, and others. I would go downstairs to his office and grandfather would be sitting at his desk writing on his typewriter. I found some of his writings and would like to share them with everyone. They are not only important historical documents of the San Francisco Stake but also a look into his thoughts as he prepared for Stake Conference. It is the only journals that we have and the words that he wrote were important spiritual counsel to all of his family. I hope you would treasure his words and writings and print them to keep in your books of remembrance.

Poor In Spirit--

To be poor in spirit is to feel yourselves as the spiritually needy, ever dependent upon the Lord for your clothes, your food and the air you breathe, you health, your life; realizing that no day should pass without fervent prayer of thanksgiving, for guidance and forgiveness and strength sufficient for each day's need.

It is indeed a sad thing because of wealth or knowledge, or worldly position, if an individual thinks himself independent of this spiritual need.

It is the opposite of pride or self-conceit.

To the worldly rich it is that "he must possess his wealth as though he possessed it not," and be willing to say without regret, if he were suddenly to meet financial disaster, as did Job, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord."

One of our dear sisters as she was driving to the cemetery with five of her boys to bury her husband and their father said, "remember boys the things your father taught, they can not be taken away, we should be thankful for what we have, we will be with him again." She was as Job...

To Mourn--

One must show that "godly sorrow that worketh repentance: and wins for the penitent a forgiveness of sins and forbids a return to the deeds of which he mourns. It is to see, as did the Apostle Paul, "glory in tribulations, know that tribulations worketh patience; patience, experience; and experience hope." (Romans 5:3-4)

Again this causes me to think of the guidance we should give our children. We should not do for them but we should teach them the right things. Would an individual grow if he lived in a society that planned his every move. I think not. He grows by doing, by having tribulations (not that we should go looking for them), by experience. This experience should bring us hope. It should cause us to be thankful for those things we have, opportunities, etc.

To mourn you must be willing "to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light." When a mother mourns for the return of a wayward daughter, you with compassion must forbid the casting of the first stone.

Your mourning with the aged, widow, and the orphan should lead you to bring the succor they require.

You must be as the publican and not as the Pharisee. "God be merciful to me a sinner." This is a requirement if you are to be forgiven your own sins.

To Be Merciful--

Our salvation rests upon the mercy we show to others. Unkind and cruel words, or wanton acts of cruelty toward man or beast, even though in seeming retaliation, disqualify the perpetrator in his claims for mercy when he has need of mercy in the day of judgment...

There is a hymn - that goes "If I have wounded any soul today, if I have caused one foot to go astray, if I have walked in mine own willful way, dear Lord, forgive."

Is there one of you who have never been wounded by the slander of another whom he thought to be his friend? Do you remember the struggle you had to refrain from retribution?

Blessed are all you who are merciful for you shall obtain mercy!

Peacemakers -- Children of God

Peacemakers shall be called the children of God.

We have in this world trouble-makers, we have them in the country, we have them in our communities, we sometimes have them in the church. They are prompted by motives of evil and unless they desist will be known as the children of Satan rather than of God. They are the strikers against law and order.

That one who is quarrelsome or contentious, and whose arguments are for other purposes than to resolve the truth, is violating a fundamental principle laid down by the master as an essential in building a full rich life. Peace and good will to men on earth was the angel song that heralded the birth of the "Prince of Peace."

The Persecuted--

To be persecuted for righteousness sake in a great cause where truth and virtue and honor are at stake is god-like.

We have a lot of good examples of those who have been persecuted because they persisted in following the truth and a good cause: The Master and his eleven Apostles, Joseph Smith to name a few.

Persecution oft times comes from lace of understanding, for men are prone to oppose that which they do not understand. Our missionaries have felt this kind of persecution.

But from whatever cause, persecution seems to be so universal against those engaged in a righteous cause that the Master warns us, "Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you! For so did their fathers to the false prophets." (Luke 6:26).

To Hunger and Thirst--

For crust of bread, of dip of water.

Hungering and thirsting after righteousness should cause us to hunger and thirst to attend our meetings. It is that thing which causes us to go to the temple. It causes us to keep the Sabbath Day holy.

Build "Each new temple nobler than the last...till thou at length art free: "then your whole bodies shall be filled with light and there shall be no darkness in you."

The Pure in Heart--

There is in Jewish writings the story of a man who saw an object in the distance, an object that he thought was a beast. As it drew nearer he could perceive it was a man and as it came still closer he saw it was his friend. You see only that which you have eyes to see. If you do not see in your Branch President a good man who is trying to lead the branch properly. then you had better get down on your knees and pray that he will or that your heart will be changed so that you will be "pure in heart." Some of the associates of Jesus saw him only as the son of the carpenter Joseph. Others thought him to be a wine bibber or drunkard because of his words. Still others thought he was possessed of devils. Only the righteous saw him as the son of god.

Only if you are pure in heart will you see God, and also in a lesser degree will you be able to see the "God" or good in man and love him because of the goodness you see in him.

MARK well that person who criticizes and maligns the man of God or the Lord's anointed leaders in his Church. Such a one speaks from an impure heart.

Entrance Into The Kingdom--

But in order to gain entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven we must not only be good but we are required to do good and be good for something. So if you would walk daily onward that goal of perfection and fullness of life, you must be schooled the remaining four "articles" in the Master's constitution for a perfect life. these have to do with man's social relations with others.

BLESSED ARE THE MEEK
BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL
BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS
BLESSED ARE THEY WHICH ARE PERSECUTED

A Meek Man--

Defined as one who is not easily provoked or irritated and forbearing under injury or annoyance. Meekness is not synonymous with weakness. The meek man is strong, the mighty, the man of complete self mastery. He is the one who has the courage of his moral convictions, despite the pressure of the gang or club. He is humble-minded, he does not bluster. "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty." He is the leader. He is the salt of the earth and shall inherit it.

Greatest in the Kingdom or Greatest in the World?

A help--what would we have to hid if Jesus appeared tomorrow? Would we do the same things in his presence as we do now?

You may know you are living a full, rich life when you have a real joy of living for "Men are that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25)

What is it that gives you that high emotional ecstasy called joy? Does it come from the unusual or does it come from common things?

You make a serious error if you mistake an "emotional" thrill that passes with the moment for the upsurge of deep feelings that is the joy of living. This type of emotional thrill may leave bitter memories and certainly not add to the joy of living.

On the other hand, if we have strong surges of happiness from the quiet of a happy home, from the unfolding of a beautiful life, from the revelation of divine wisdom or from the love of the beautiful and true and good, you are having a taste of the fulness of joy that living a rich, full life only can bring:
Memories of home--around the piano, good friends, with dad. The joy of teaching. Teacher of many years, her joy. Mother and dad's joy through the lives of their children.

Eight Ways to Joy

Jesus gave a sermon from sunup to sundown. Many great and important things were given at this time. Among them were eight ways by which we can have joy.

Each of these declarations is begun by the word "blessed." Blessedness is defined as being higher than happiness. Happiness comes from without and is dependent upon circumstances; blessedness is an inward fountain of joy in the world itself, which no outward circumstances can seriously affect.

Jesus at Gethsemane.

Brother Lee has referred to these EIGHT WAYS TO JOY as a CONSTITUTION FOR A PERFECT LIFE. they are known in literature to the Christian world as the Beatitudes. They are the preparation necessary for entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

THE CONSTITUTION FOR A PERFECT LIFE

Let us consider them for a few moments

BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT
BLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN
BLESSED ARE THEY THAT HUNGER AND THIRST AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS
BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART