Happy Birthday to the prophet!

President Gordon B. Hinckley the president and prophet of the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints turns 95 this week. He may not look like what people imagine a prophet to be, but when did that ever matter to the Lord?

What is a prophet?

First, he's a servant to God and to God's people. He's not a "holy father," for no one is holy but God, he is not the father of the church. He would dislike such titles. However, he is sustained by the membership of the church as a "prophet, seer and revelator." As to that, I can state that he's truly guided by the spirit of God. I've felt this witness many times hearing him speak, as I felt the truth of his teachings impressed on my soul. I've felt my spirit well up with love for him, for his unassuming manner, his love for the Lord and the members of the church, and his steady support for previous prophets and his steady, positive and optimistic leadership of the Lord's church.

Second, he's an ordinary mortal, but he exemplifies the teachings of Christ and is an enduring example to everyone that becoming Christ-like is not an unattainable goal.

Third, he guides the Lord's people without pomp or compulsion, couching his teachings in scripture, and addressing contemporary issues, patiently, kindly and with reason and promises for a happier life.

For example, a few years ago, he counseled young people not to get tattoos and piercings. There's not much about that in the scriptures, but he was right. If you give yourself a mohawk it will grow back out, but other disfigurement of the body God gave you is harder to grow out of, and it represents a desire to be identified by and with the world than to revere the creator. His talk sent shudders through the youth of the church, but it gave them a challenge to reexamine their values and see whether the fads of the world were more important to them than pleasing their Heavenly Father.

In April, President Hinckley noted a rise in the requests for the church's beliefs about gambling. Simply put, it's bad. It's addictive, wasteful and is based on a desire to get wealth without working for it. The Lord told Adam that he would earn his food by the sweat of his brow, and that has never changed. It is possible to leverage work with wisdom, skills, frugality and investment, but gambling is nearly always a wasre. I can't think of a more Satanic come-on than the promise of all the money you could ever want or need. "Don't bother with the hard stuff, like work, self-discipline, and education! Trust your good luck!" The casinos may talk about luck, but they know better than to make their businesses depend on it.

Such occasions are what prophets are for. Sometimes they must be bold and predict dire consequences for those who ignore the Lord's counsel, but when they do so, it is because the wicked have gotten too close to destruction and need to be brought up short. Mostly they show God's love for his children by their own love and devotion and an example of a truly happy life.
When President Hinckley's wife passed away last year, a photo in the news showed him weeping at her grave side. A lot of people thought that was an invasion of his privacy, but I thought it was great. It illustrated that being righteous is not a guarantee that you'll never have sorrow. It also made a million hearts and souls reach out in love to this great man, who shows us that our God and Savior are more like us that we normally suspect. Christ is God, because he came down among us, as a simple, humble man and saved us all.