I’ve been very busy today trying to get through quickbooks certification, working on an open source solution that will take the place of exchange server for Heywood builders, and preparing for Sunday by going through my planner and making sure I have notes to follow-up on all of my commitments and other things that I need to remind the boys of. I was going through the requirements for Duty To God (there’s a nice layout of them all on YMYW.ORG) and making note of ones that we could do as a quorum for upcoming activities. We’re having a planning meeting this Wednesday.
Anyway, in the course of that I went to dutytogod.com and was looking at some of the resources there and then clicked on the sponsor link. Had some church books, etc. Long story short, read something about David W. Patten and his reported Cain sighting (reported by someone else after his death…not first hand, so who knows?) Apparently Spencer W. Kimball quoted that accounting in “The Miracle of Forgiveness” on pages 127-128.
“On the sad character Cain, an interesting story comes to us from Lycurgus A. Wilson’s book on the life of David W. Patten. From the book I quote an extract from a letter by Abraham O. Smoot giving his recollection of David Patten’s account of meeting ‘a very remarkable person who had represented himself as being Cain.’ “
“As I was riding along the road on my mule I suddenly noticed a very strange personage walking beside me…. His head was about even with my shoulders as I sat in my saddle. He wore no clothing, but was covered with hair. His skin was very dark. I asked him where he dwelt and he replied that he had no home, that he was a wanderer in the earth and traveled to and fro. He said he was a very miserable creature, that he had earnestly sought death during his sojourn upon the earth, but that he could not die, and his mission was to destroy the souls of men. About the time he expressed himself thus, I rebuked him in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by virtue of the holy priesthood, and commanded him to go hence, and he immediately departed out of my sight…”
Anyway, I went to go find my copy of Miracle of Forgiveness from my bookshelf and as I was going through books trying to find it I found “Teachings of Presidents of the church – Joseph F. Smith ” I was thumbing through it and found where I had marked P. 317-319 about “We are to improve and advance in the scale of intelligence.” I read through it again and just had it brought home to me again how very accountable we are for the use of our time. I must use all my time each day to its fullest potential and best use. Continually growing in knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom.