It might belong to my son on a mission in Las Vegas, whose bike and scriptures were just stolen last week while the bike was locked up near an LDS church in Las Vegas. His mission is about over so the bike can stay, but I’d like to retrieve his scriptures. I know the pain of having scriptures stolen after you’ve put lots of work into notes and cross-references.
I searched Ebay: no hits for “scripture bike” or “mormon bike,” and the hits for “bible bike” don’t look like his. Oh well.
Oh, I hope he gets the scriptures back! When my husband was on his mission, his scriptures fell off of his bike rack and he was devastated. A few days later, he got a call from a police officer saying that they had found a blue Book of Mormon with his name in it. Thinking it was one of the free copies, he told the officer, “Oh, we give those away. You can keep it.” Luckily, the officer insisted that this book looked special – it was his blue quadruple combination. On a whim, he had put his name and mission # on the inside cover. I hope you have a similar miracle!
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Here’s hoping it leads to a conversion.
Dear Jeff,
The story about your son is a very touching one because of his obvious loss, however when you correllate object – bike / scriptures with Las Vegas, I am sorry but thoughts about ‘honest return’ or ‘e-bay’ don’t immediately spring into my mind.
I can not think that someone would go out of their way to take a used bike from near an LDS church to keep for themselves. More likely that it will have been immediately sold on the cheapy cheap or pawned to create enough cash for that one extra gamble or drug hit.
My advice would be to check with the pawn shops in the area and report it to the local police HQ. I know from when I went to Vegas that the casinos didn’t appear to be accepting bikes over the tables. (Oh – and by the way I was there on business – not pleasure just before you criticise in reply!)
The other thing to consider is that maybe God doesn’t consider it necessary for him to have his ‘all important’ scriptures. Maybe it is a call for him to return to his Bible and his Bible alone…. ?
Teranno4x4
Teranno4x4,
I believe his Bible was stole with the rest of his scriptures. Perhaps God was telling him to use no scriptures…and no bike? Ya, probably. 🙂
I had my lunch stolen once. God might have been telling me not to eat.
Dear Anon and Jon,
Yes maybe!
Evil things bikes you know – can easily pull a muscle or scrape a knee! And lunches too. Best to do without them. Walking, temperence and fasting is much healthier all round for the body!!!!
More seriously, context please – take my comments in context without the snide ridicule – just offer encouragement! That I why I commented – return to the Bible and the Bible alone (in other words start all over again without BOM influence).
Teranno4x4
Losing my scriptures was actually one of the best things that happened to me. All my highlighting and cross-referencing that I had diligently put in had locked me into reading the verses the way I understood them when I highlighted. Now I try to do minimal highlighting; I honestly think that an over-highlighted set of scriptures hinders my ability to listen to the spirit when I read.
Amen to that JKC!
Unadulterated original text can make an individual think for himself and be lead as requested in prayer by the Holy Spirit.
Teranno4x4
Teranno, his Bible was stolen. So what was that message from God again?
Puzzled, as usual.
terrano,
You are exactly right! Unadulterated original text can make an individual think for himself and be lead as requested in prayer by the Holy Spirit.
This was a message to drop the english version of the BoM and the error-ridden KJV version of the Bible and only use the Inspired Version of the Bible and the Reformed-Egyption version of the Book of Mormon.
Since we have been inspired in this discussion to not mention the Pearl of Great Price or the Doctrine and Covenants, God is obviously saying those are safe to use.
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Such a strange conversation. Here is a fellow who has lost something important to him and we’re analyzing it for theological significance. Sometimes, academic discussions (like these, even if it is only ostensibly) have distinct limits and really do miss the mark.
Russell’s very appropriate and accurate statement will seem a little out of place because at least one lengthy comment in the “conversation” he referred to has been deleted by your local intolerant Webmaster.
Teranno, I bet you won’t understand, but I found your deleted comment to be off-topic and offensive (in addition to the minor problems of being inappropriately lengthy and convoluted). I’m becoming less patient with thread-jacking, especially when it is aimed at attacking the foundation of our faith.
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Hi Jeff,
Nothing to do with a bike, but everything to do with humility and a Christ-like attitude to others :
——————————–
How To Plant Your Garden
First, you “come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses….”
FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING, PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS:
1. Peace of mind
2. Peace of heart
3. Peace of soul
PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:
1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness
PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE:
1. Lettuce be faithful
2. Lettuce be kind
3. Lettuce be patient
4. Lettuce love one another as our Lord loves us
NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS:
1. Turnip for church
2. Turnip to help one another
TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME:
1. Thyme for the Lord
2. Thyme for family
3. Thyme for friends
WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE. THERE IS MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW.
Teranno4x4
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My friends…it’s tangents like these that make bloggers look ridiculous. Apparently, most folks responding to this blog are incapable of responding sympathetically (or if they are, they, for some mysterious reason, choose to hide that sympathy from us–odd indeed). What in the high heaven does reformed Egyptian have to do with a stolen bike and scriptures?
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Sorry to hear about the loss. I had 2 bikes stolen on my mission (plus 2 before my mission). When that is your only transportation, besides your feet, losing it can be difficult. I have thankfully never lost a set of scriptures, but I would be saddened to lose some of the comments I have written in the margins of things the Spirit taught me as I read.
Terrano, I like your description of what the Bible has apparently done for you: “Can an individual find God inside? Can they read of their salvation through the selfless, sinless sacrifice of Jesus, our Saviour? Can they discover the prophecies and the fulfilment of prophecy ? Yes …” I have also found the same thing in the Bible…and in the Book of Mormon and in inspired sermons. You give a great measuring stick to tell if something is from God. Let us hope that those that took Elder Lindsay’s scriptures open that up and find out what is inside.
More T. deletions. I agree with Russell again, though I’ve removed some of the evidence of just how he is
Teranno, I’m having a very hard time with most of your comments and am increasingly tempted to delete them. I know that seems harsh, but you’ve violated my policies many times and have shown some behaviors that just aren’t what I’m looking for on this blog. You can start your own for free, and I’ll even allow a comment giving your new URL for those who want to discuss our many failings with you.
Jeff,
Thanks for keep Teranno in line. I can get all that he has to offer on most of the other hate fill web pages.
I am not surprised Jeff that this happened. I served for a time in the Las Vegas West Mission and actually gave a man money for a taxi because his bike was “broken” and he couldn’t get home. I invited him to Church etc. etc., but I was the sucker in that one. Nothing to do with God or divine messages, just plain ignorance. People do terrible things sometimes, but maybe the man or woman that stole the bike just needed some extra cash for his or her family, and maybe the Scriptures, I am sure that are heavily marked, will enlighten the thief and bring them to repentance. Who knows.
I too served in the Sas Vegas Mission, 87-89 –but when it was one mission, Bullhead, AZ to Susanville, Ca and everything in between and I too had stuff stolen off my bike. Not the bike and not my scripts…but the feeling of being violated is the same.
In “The Enchiridion,” Epictetus has a great line on how to view a loss suffered at the hands of someone with mal-intent:
“What is it to thee by whose hands the Giver decides to take it back?”
Not an exact quote, but close enough.
More exactly:
11. Never say of anything, “I have lost it”; but, “I have returned it.” Is your child dead? It is returned. Is your wife dead? She is returned. Is your estate taken away? Well, and is not that likewise returned? “But he who took it away is a bad man.” What difference is it to you who the giver assigns to take it back? While he gives it to you to possess, take care of it; but don’t view it as your own, just as travelers view a hotel.
http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html
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