I Dare You To Eat It

When people ask me about the book signings at Costco, I think they’re picturing something different.

What it really looks like is me standing by a small display of five bins that each have a three-month supply of ingredients used in five recipes. Those wacky bins attract tons of attention. All day long I get asked if I’m selling them, if they came from IKEA, or where they can be purchased. But the hope is, that people will be able to see how their year supply can easily be combined with regular items, routinely purchase from the grocery store, to create normal meals that are simple to prepare and save money.

I have a stash of nifty bookmarks, printed with this web address and a shot of the book cover, and I try to gently shove them into as many hands as possible, hopefully without being a total pain to those that are not interested. I feel embarrassed to just sit at the table so I constantly approach people, casually asking if they have any food storage questions or inviting them to check out some easy recipes that could save money in their monthly food budget. I also have one of my large presentation posters with me that serves as a ready visual aid that helps people see how their long-term supply, three-month supply, and fresh ingredients from the grocery store can work together to provide meals that use food storage in ways that their family will actually WANT to eat. Go figure!

So, that’s it. That’s what these book signings are all about, for me. There isn’t any long line of customers excitedly waiting and giddy for my autograph. I move a few books and even sign them if people are interested in that, but the real goal is to share a system that’s worked for me and my family. And the best thing that I take out of the adventure comes while standing in a totally public venue, I get to meet individuals who tell me again and again that they have felt an urgency to get their food storage prepared…or finally figured out…or up-dated…or simply understood after years of feeling nervous, guilty, and overwhelmed. I think I can help with at least some of those issues, so I’m very happy for the chance to be there, at Costco.

I’ve mentioned this before, but my very favorite ‘customers’ are still the handful of single young men I’ve had the opportunity to meet. (noooot that way) What impresses me most is how these random…daddies…in training, look me square in the eyes, really listen to what I’m trying to explain, tell me that they’ve felt some sort of prompting, and that they’re ready to “mobilize”, and start building a food storage even before they have the wife and kids to go with it.

WHATTHEHECK! I’m sorry, but I think that is just about the coolest thing ever! I think these are examples of the few good men that really understand what it means to be a PROVIDER. It’s an OPPORTUNITY! It’s an opportunity to have more to share, to care for others, to be ready to give of yourself and your substance. And it’s open to all of us.

This morning, I’ve been studying the talks that were given in the Priesthood Session of the most recent General Conference. The words below are copied from the message Bishop Richard C. Edgley gave as he’s relating an example from the life of President Brigham Young.

In October 1856, during a general conference, President Young learned that two handcart companies, the Martin company and the Willie company, were traveling late in the season and would face harsh winter weather on the plains of the western United States. He stood at the pulpit as a prophet of God and declared:

“Many of our brethren and sisters are on the plains with hand-carts, . . . and they must be brought here, we must send assistance to them. . . . This community is to send for them and bring them in. . . . 

“That is my religion; that is the dictation of the Holy Ghost that I possess, it is to save the people. . . . 

“I will tell you all that your faith, religion, and profession of religion, will never save one soul of you in the celestial kingdom of our God, unless you carry out just such principles as I am now teaching you. Go and bring in those people now on the plains.”⁴

As a result of President Young’s call to action, wagons with teams of mules, men to drive them, and flour and other supplies were immediately sent to rescue the people stranded on the plains.

Brethren, this is your phone call. This is our phone call. May the Lord bless us all with the same sense of urgency to answer the call today to bring in our people from these economic challenges as He did in the case of the handcart companies is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I love that message. I believe that there are steps we can take right now that will help us be prepared to better serve our family, friends, and others who may be in need. It’s the direction I want to follow. Really glad I’m not alone!

Tags: April 2009 General Conference, lds.org, provident living

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 at 10:50 am and is filed under Daily. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.