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 Now
it came to pass that there arose a famine in the church; and it
was not a famine of food, nor of fine clothes, nor of money, nor
of well-appointed buildings, for these were had in abundance.
But there arose a famine of great men; and messengers went
hither and yon throughout the kingdom in search of great men,
and behold, there were none. And there was great lamentation
among the hosts of mediocrity, and worse.
And
a proclamation went forth that research and development should
be done so that the church might again have great men. And the
price arose accordingly, as it is wont to do. And many of the
mediocre and worse would fain have filled themselves with the
glory and gain of greatness, but no one was great enough to
recognize their greatness. Ain't it a shame!
Then
schools of mediocre teachers, and churches with mediocre
preachers and elders, sought to train great men. They gave them
red coats, and fine cars, and they taught them to speak smooth
sayings so as not to offend, and they pushed others into a lower
position, so these would seem great — but behold, the famine
continued.
And
it came to pass that the mediocre began to judge themselves by
themselves, and came to great conclusions. And they gave
themselves dinners of testimony to their greatness; and they
could not so much as speak of one-another except they use great
swelling words: and they said, "Our highly esteemed Doctor,
Defender of the Faith, and Savior of the Church." And
things got worse.
Now
in a certain community there dwelt
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an humble man having but one
little ewe lamb, and he had no Cadillac, nor had he finished
High School. And behold, this man knew not how to read between
the lines, for he read on the lines with great difficulty; and
he thought the church had a Savior of long time, to wit; Jesus.
And it came to pass that when this man heard of the need for
great men he wept bitterly, and was sore oppressed in his grief.
And he thought of souls that would be lost for want of great
men; and he prayed that the famine might soon be lifted.
And
as he thought on these things he said to himself, while research
and development is being done, and red coats are being made, and
banquets are being prepared so that we may have great men,
someone must mind the store and save these lost souls. And since
red coats do not go well with my Levis, and I am never invited
to banquets, I will try to save souls until some great men are
made. And he said, I will arise and go unto my neighbor, and why
didn't I think of this sooner.
So
he arose, and he taught his neighbor the good news about Christ.
And together they taught the man who came to sell fertilizer,
and there was great rejoicing in their hearts.
And
when the One Great Scorer came a host of red coats rushed out to
meet him, and there was strife among them, who should be
greatest. But He passed through the midst of them and sought a
man who was in the field, caring for an ewe lamb, and the lost.
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