The Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, is probably best remembered for his doctrine of change being central to the universe, or more succintly, his quip that, “The one constancy in life is change.”Nowhere is this as true as in the organization of our lay church. We serve in callings without ever knowing the length of our stint.
So, yesterday the Los Gatos Ward Bishopric was changed which replaced Bishop Knudsen and his counselors, Tim Hegstrom and Brian Kingsbury with a new group at the helm. The incoming bishopric we sustained is Bishop Mark Walton with Dave Bohn and Dennis Lange as counselors.
Like all church callings, we’re admonished to live worthily and not aspire to positions, but to be prepared, ready, and willing to serve wherever we are called. Brent truly enjoyed serving as the bishop; it seemed like a natural fit for him (even if he has a stubborn wife who prefers life out of the fishbowl).
I’m probably biased but even with my protests over rambling announcements and other sundry minutiae, I think Brent did a great job (I just like to give him a hard time :). He certainly gave (and gave and then gave some more) of his time lovingly and without ever complaining. I might have complained but Brent never did.
About six months ago I had a premonition that Mark Walton would be the next bishop. When the thought came to me, it just felt right. I even kidded Maria Walton that they’d better stay in the ward boundaries if they move just in case my hunch was accurate. Call me clairvoyant!
I love a quote by President Hinckley about callings generally. He said: “No calling in this church is...of little consequence. All of us in the pursuit of our duty touch the lives of others....Whatever your calling, it is as fraught with the same kind of opportunity to accomplish good as is mine. Our work is to go about doing good as the Master did."
