Seminary Answers

The title of this post doesn't have reference to what have sometimes been termed the "seminary answers" or "Sunday school answers." Instead I'm thinking about a seminary teacher by the name of Brother Harris who at some point recognized that I could always tell where he was headed, and knew exactly what answers he was hoping to get to certain questions. Especially when he was trying to do a lead-in to some topic. He'd ask questions expecting/hoping for a certain set of answers, and then he'd turn things on their side a little by suggesting what might be more appropriate answers. The trouble was, too often people didn't understand the importance of the expected answers coming out first. But he figured out that I knew exactly what he was doing and exactly what answers he needed, so he'd sometimes ask me specifically even though other people had hands raised and I didn't. I really only remember one specific incident along these lines, but my feeling is that something of a similar nature happened on multiple occasions. The one time I do remember it happening, the question was along the lines of "If you won the lottery, what's the first thing you would buy?" Now, as this was a seminary class, these really bright/pure kids (and I don't mean to mock or anything, they really were some great, pure kids) immediately began to give answers like "Pay tithing!!!" (with all three exclamation marks) or, once that had already been said a time or two, "Donate to the (insert line from tithing/offerings slip here) fund." Well, I could see that Bro. Harris really didn't want these answers, that he was really heading in a completely different direction and he couldn't get there with tithing. I was caught off guard just a little when he ignored the half dozen hands in the air and asked what I would buy. (Maybe with a little more emphasis on the word buy this time.) So I didn't have an answer exactly in mind, but I just said the first thing that came to my mind, "I'd buy some four-wheelers." Anyone who knows me well would recognize how ridiculous this answer was - I could have just as easily said a shotgun or a talking pony - and I think Bro. Harris knew that four-wheelers were nowhere on my list of most desired possessions, but I imagine a look of relief sweeping across his face with a smile as he asked what things like four-wheelers other people would buy. And the class got back on the track that he wanted.

This may well be my proudest moment.