The Reactivation of Brother F.
Four years ago I started paying attention to a rock band from my home state fronted by someone who shares my religion. One of my favorite things I’ve written came out of that, “Nevada and the Killers.” Back then Brother Flowers was open about being a Mormon, but not a good one. He would drink and smoke and still say interesting things in interviews about the resurrection or God’s physical being, and name a son after a Book of Mormon missionary, born to a wife who converted to the church after meeting him. Timing-wise, he was obviously a prospective Elder, maybe a Teacher.
Since then, he did an “I’m a Mormon” ad celebrating his life as a husband, father, and Latter-day Saint. He stood his ground in front of a TV audience against Richard Dawkins attacking his belief in the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith’s worth as a prophet. More recent interviews suggest that the Word of Wisdom issues are in the past. It’s been a peculiar thing to observe playing out with a public figure I don’t otherwise know, and heartening. I hope he’s taken his wife to the temple or soon will. Reactivation is an important implementation of the doctrine of repentance that I’ve been gratified to witness in the lives of several denizens of the Battle Born state who I do know personally. A ward without a number of men who have been gathered back and ordained Elders is missing something.
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G.
October 5, 2012
That is also one of my favorite posts of yours. This one too, though short, because it set me thinking on the reactivated men I know and cherish.
Vader
October 5, 2012
Almost every inactive Mormon has an inner Saint he’s only forgotten. You never know when or how he will turn back to the light.
Gives me some hope when I stumble.
John Mansfield
April 25, 2014
A couple follow up links:
http://bryceromney.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-bff-brandon-flowers-fireside.html#!/2012/10/the-bff-brandon-flowers-fireside.html
http://bighuglittlekiss.blogspot.com/2013/06/so-i-met-brandon-flowers.html
From the first:
“First his wife, Tanna, spoke about her conversion story. She first became interested in the church through the wonderful example of BF’s mom. She received an impression to read the Book of Momon, so she read it, and the rest was history. She went to church, spoke to the missionaries, and got baptized. Her conversion fanned the embers that BF says were still glowing inside of him, who went inactive when 16. They got married, he started going back to church with his wife, and the flames ignited once more. She couldn’t stop beaming as she described the happiness that the gospel brings into her life.
“Brandon spoke more about his story, his family history and how he grew up in Vegas. His family then moved to some small towns in Utah. He realized he wanted to pursue golf, so moved in with some relatives back to Vegas when he was 16. That’s when he went inactive. He had his golf clubs stolen, which led him to make friends with some people intent on sustaining themselves with music. He later responded to an ad in the paper looking for a singer, and soon after that, the Killers formed. He met a girl named Tanna in Buffalo Exchange looking for clothes for his first ever gig. Luckily, BF took Tanna on a date and the Killers quickly signed and rose to stardom with Hot Fuss.
“Brandon now has three children and was sealed to his wife just in March! [2012]”
From the second:
“He also mentioned a turning point in his belief. He came across an interview with Brad Pitt, where Pitt mentioned that he thought religion was stifling or constraining. Brandon said that, at the time, he was reading a book by James E. Talmage, ‘Jesus the Christ,’ and Talmage mentioned just the opposite: that because Christ did not sin, he was truly free. Brandon said he thought about that a lot, and knew that was what he truly wanted: he wanted to be free.”
G.
April 25, 2014
Good stuff. There may be a little manly moisture in the corner of my eye.