The Formula

By Garrett Michael Pace

David Harris, a young husband, father, and college dropout who has been out of work for five months, is convinced that his late grandfather’s will contains the answers to all of his problems. His grandfather has much greater plans for him, however, and teaches David through the words of ancient and modern prophets that the path to true prosperity does not lie in handouts or inheritances, but in seeking first the kingdom of God and then going to work.

The Formula shares lessons on overcoming bad habits and wrong mindsets toward financial matters, on learning to counsel with the Lord while setting temporal and spiritual goals, and on trusting in the literal fulfillment of the most frequently repeated promise in the scriptures: that by keeping the commandments, we can truly prosper in this land.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Garrett Michael Pace
• Release date: Apr 24, 2015
• ISBN: 9781942823018

Garrett Michael Pace

I was born in Provo, Utah, and grew up in Las Vegas and in Henderson, Nevada. My mom read to me a lot when I was little (she says it was the only way she could get me to sit still), and so I fell in love with reading at a very early age, and have been writing (or at least trying to) since shortly thereafter.I served as a Latter-day Saint (a.k.a. “Mormon”) missionary in Central Mexico from June ’03 to June ’05, where I also fell in love with the Mexican people, their language, their food, and their culture (which is why you’ll see these all pop up in almost all of my writing).My sweet wife was raised in Central Mexico, coincidentally, and we now have four beautiful, dangerously intelligent, and unbelievably busy children.

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THE FORMULA

GARRETT MICHAEL PACE

Copyright 2015 Garrett Michael Pace. All rights reserved.

For upcoming books by Garrett Michael Pace, and for paperback editions of this book, please visit:

http://garrettmichaelpace.com/

Published by Garrett Michael Pace

Las Vegas, NV

Cover design by Garrett Michael Pace, copyright 2015

ISBN 978-1-942823-00-1 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-942823-01-8 (ebk)

Disclaimer

This work is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Permissions

The following materials referenced or quoted herein are copyrighted by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.:

The standard works of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price), Addiction Recovery Program: A Guide to Addiction Recovery and Healing, prepared by LDS Family Services, Tengo gozo en mi alma hoy/There is Sunshine in my Soul Today by Eliza E. Hewitt, For the Strength of Youth: Fulfilling Our Duty to God (2001), To the Youth of the Noble Birthright by Ezra Taft Benson, Pornography by Dallin H. Oaks, The Holy Temple—a Beacon to the World by Thomas S. Monson, As We Meet Again by Thomas S. Monson, This is No Harm by Marvin J. Ashton, For the Strength of Youth (2011), Count Your Blessings by Johnson Oatman, Jr., The Choice to Be Grateful by Henry B. Eyring, Good, Better, Best by Dallin H. Oaks, Beware of Pride by Ezra Taft Benson, and The Candle of the Lord by Boyd K. Packer are all Copyrighted By Intellectual Reserve, Inc., and are used with permission of Intellectual Property Office.

References to http://www.missionaryleaders.org/ and Leading a Great Ward Mission, copyrighted 2007, 2015 by Clayton M. Christensen, used by permission of Emily Snyder, Administrative Director for Clayton M. Christensen.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to your favorite e-book dealer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

About the Author

References

Acknowledgements

I want to thank everyone who has encouraged or offered me assistance in any way as I wrote this book and prepared it for publishing: LaRene Excell, Miguel Hermosillo, Kent Ririe, Curtis Farnsworth, Dave Heston, Blaze Bishop, Craig Mansel, Brian Tenney, and many others.

I am especially indebted to all of my editors: Dad, Mom, Lyndsi, Matthew, Nate Snarr, Miguel Álvarez, and Ana Shimono. I also want to express gratitude to two authors whom I have never met: Ali Luke (Publishing E-Books for Dummies), and Grant Von Harrison, for his invaluable advice on life and on how to set and achieve goals (Drawing on the Powers of Heaven).

This book would also not be possible without the support of my wife, Verónica, without the prayers of my beautiful children "por el libro de Papi," or, most importantly, without the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Ghost, who I believe is the true Author of anything of value contained herein.

Introduction

While speaking of material wealth, the Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples: …Seek ye first the kingdom of God… and all these things shall be added unto you. [1]

Five centuries earlier, the prophet Jacob stated more explicitly: But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them…. [2]

Although these words are clear enough, their meaning often makes us wonder:

What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God?

What exactly is a hope in Christ?

How do I know when I have accomplished either of these conditions?

Is Jacob speaking of monetary wealth, or is he referring exclusively to the far-more-valuable (though far-less-visible) treasure in heaven? [3]

What exactly are all these things which the Lord referred to?

Too often, too many of us choose to set these questions aside, along with the principles which they examine, and decide to deal with them later, or never. We correctly trust that the Lord will bless us as we strive to do our best while here on this earth, but, by failing to study these principles more closely, we miss out on a lifetime of opportunities to receive the many other blessings, both material and intangible, which the Lord would gladly give us.

It is my hope that this story will help all who read it to come to better know their Father in Heaven, to better see His hand in their lives, and to better understand the conditions He has set for us to receive any and all blessings which He has reserved for us.

___________________________

The majority of the dialogue in this story occurs between characters who are Latter-day Saints (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; often referred to as Mormons), and so terminology is frequently used herein which is common in Latter-day Saint (LDS) culture, but may be unfamiliar to readers of other backgrounds or beliefs. To help provide the reader a smoother reading experience, and to reduce the number of bookmarks found throughout this book, a brief overview of LDS culture and terminology will be given here.

Latter-day Saints believe in God the Father (usually referring to Him as the Father, Heavenly Father, God, and the Lord), in Jesus Christ (referring to Him most frequently as the Savior, but also as the Lord, the Son, and Christ), and in the Holy Ghost (often referred to as the Spirit, the Spirit of God, and the Comforter). References to any of these Three (Him, He, His, and so on) are usually capitalized.

Latter-day Saints also believe the following:

• That the Church which Jesus Christ established during His time on the earth (from approximately 1 A.D. to 34 A.D.), with its organization and divine authority (called the priesthood), fell apart in the decades following His death, His resurrection (coming back to life in an immortal, perfected body), and His ascension into heaven.

• That in 1820 the Father and the Son appeared to a young man named Joseph Smith, and began to restore the ancient Church of Jesus Christ to the earth through him. Since that time, many other people have been called to be prophets and apostles. The Church today is led by revelation from God through three prophets; they are the president of the Church and his two counselors, and they are collectively referred to as the First Presidency. Twelve other men serve under their direction, called the Quorum (or Council) of the Twelve Apostles.

• That the Bible (composed of The Old Testament and The New Testament) contains the word of God, although parts have been mistranslated, lost, and even removed throughout its millennia of existence. Books contained in the Bible which are referred to or referenced herein are: Genesis, the 1st Book of Samuel (1 Samuel), the 2nd Book of the Kings (2 Kings), Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Malachi, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1st Corinthians, Galatians, 1st Thessalonians, 1st Timothy, James, and Revelation.

• That scriptures like the Bible have been written in other parts and eras of the world, as God communicated with His children there and then, just as He did in ancient Israel. Such books of scripture, which Latter-day Saints also believe to be the word of God, are:

o The Book of Mormon, written by the ancient inhabitants of the American continent, who are the primary ancestors of today’s Native American (and therefore also of many Latin American) people. Books referenced herein from the Book of Mormon are: 1st Nephi, 2nd Nephi, Jacob, Omni, Mosiah, Alma, Helaman, 3rd Nephi, Mormon, Ether and Moroni.

o The Doctrine and Covenants, a compilation of modern-day (often called latter-day) revelations received during and since the time of Joseph Smith.

o The Pearl of Great Price, the name of which is drawn from one of the Savior’s parables, [4] which is a compilation of other ancient and modern scriptures. Books referenced herein from the Pearl of Great Price are: The Book of Moses and The Articles of Faith.

Latter-day Saints attend church on Sundays, typically for three hours, in congregations known as wards (whereas a geographic region composed of several wards is called a stake). The first hour of these Sunday meetings is called sacrament meeting, in which hymns (religious songs) are sung, a prayer is said at the beginning and at the end of the meeting, members of the ward give talks (they speak on religious subjects), and an ordinance (an act having spiritual significance and done by priesthood authority) called the sacrament (taking bread and water in remembrance of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ) is given.

The second hour of these Sunday meetings is referred to as Sunday School, and the adults, youth, and children attend different classes taught by members of the ward.

During the third hour, the children continue to attend their same classes, called Primary, while the adult men attend various priesthood meetings (named for different priesthood offices, such as elders and high priests), and the women attend Relief Society meeting (which draws its name from its origin as a charitable organization in the early days of the restored Church).

Both in and outside of church meetings, Latter-day Saints usually call one another Brother and Sister, in the place of Mr. and Mrs. as a reminder that all are children of the same Heavenly Father.

Other common LDS terminology used herein includes:

• Charity: Love; the pure love of Christ toward mankind

• Gospel: Christ’s teachings

• Mortality: time spent here on earth, as mortal beings, which will eventually end

• Temporal: an adjective referring to material, physical things and concerns, which are a part of mortal life (as opposed to spiritual, referring to things which have importance both during mortal life and also in the eternities, after this life)

• Testimony/Testify: Similar to bearing testimony in court, testimony refers to what a Church member strongly believes or even knows to be true, through experience and through assurance from the Holy Ghost

• Trials: challenges (temporal and/or spiritual) that we face throughout our lives

All other LDS terms or people mentioned in this story are explained in the endnotes, which are bookmarked throughout (simple references are also found in the endnotes, but are not bookmarked).

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;

and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 6:33

Chapter One

In less than two minutes the reading of the will would begin.

David Harris couldn’t seem to sit still. All around him his uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews, siblings, and everyone else who was descended from, related to, or had been a close friend of David’s grandfather and namesake were likewise having difficulty remaining quiet. In the two weeks since his funeral, the deep sadness universally felt at the passing of this great, good man had slowly been replaced by the awareness that he had left a will designating how his earthly possessions and considerable assets would be divided, which had led to a growing anticipation and excitement among all of his family. They were now all gathered in the rather large living room of Grandpa Dave’s home, to hear what that will would state.

Grandpa Dave had been a multimillionaire, possibly even a billionaire. Although the vast majority of his funds were tied up in a massive, international non-profit corporation which he had founded, David knew that his late grandfather had also kept more than four-and-a-half million dollars in the bank and, without needing any other source of income, had lived comfortably off the steady interest which that small fraction of his wealth had produced each year.

David had been very close to his grandfather during his teenage years, but they had seen each other less and less as time went on, even though they lived in the same city, albeit at opposite ends. David didn’t dare consider himself to have been Grandpa Dave’s favorite grandchild, but he thought was it reasonable to assume that he would receive at least an equal share of his grandfather’s liquid assets, along with all the other grandchildren and their families.

Four-point-five million, he thought exuberantly. Even if he lets his company keep running as usual, he still has four-point-five million to get rid of. Although David had lost count of all of his cousins and their children, he seriously doubted that Grandpa Dave had more than one hundred potential heirs. Therefore, even if David and his family only inherited one-hundredth of those liquid assets, the amount would still come to at least $45,000.

This could not have come at a better time for David and his small family. In an attempt to start saving for a down payment on a home, David, his wife Viridiana, and their little son Joseph had moved in with David’s older brother Gregory about five months earlier. Then, less than two weeks afterward, David had lost his job, and they were now struggling just to pay the drastically reduced rent which they had previously agreed on with Greg and his wife. Although things had not quite gotten tense yet between the two families, David knew they inevitably would, because every month he couldn’t find a job would be one month longer at Greg’s house than they had originally planned, and he couldn’t blame his older brother and sister-in-law if they got impatient with the situation.

Now, the $45,000 that the Harrises were almost guaranteed to inherit would fix everything. They would be able to buy their house, now; they would find a nice foreclosure in the $150,000 range, make a huge down payment with the inherited funds, and then enjoy very small mortgage payments and maybe even pay the house off early. Obviously, David needed to get another steady job before any bank would even think about lending them money. Still, having that huge sum in the bank in the meantime would considerably ease the stress of being temporarily out of work.

Temporarily, David repeated to himself. We’ll get back on our feet soon enough, and this will be a huge springboard for us.

He looked up as the low conversation around him died. Marianne Croft, David’s aunt and the executor of Grandpa Dave’s estate, had stood and was moving to the front of the living room, holding open a black folder.

Thank you all for coming, she said, with a smile that reminded David of his grandfather. I appreciate everyone being able to make it here. As you all know, Dad wasn’t one for formalities, so we’ll get right into it. She looked down at the open folder and smiled again. To read his exact words, ‘I know you all have plenty of other things to be doing right now, so let’s just divide up the loot, and then you can all go into the kitchen and have some Ben & Jerry’s.’

David grinned, shaking his head in amusement as his extended family laughed. Always direct in his speech, and always a big fan of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, it was almost like Grandpa Dave was with them in the room.

Aunt Marianne continued reading, "‘The company Bridges, Incorporated will continue to function and grow as it previously has, under the capable direction and management of my good friend, Henry Barnes.’ And I quote, ‘Good luck, Hank; you’re gonna need it.’"

Although David heard a few scattered noises of disappointment, probably from those hoping that Grandpa Dave’s company would be liquidated and the vast proceeds given to his heirs, David personally approved of this action. Grandpa Dave had touched and improved the lives of millions of people around the world, almost none of whom had ever heard of him, and only a few more had ever heard of his company’s CEO and figurehead, Henry Barnes. Several in the room looked toward Henry, who was sitting at the other end of David’s same row. The man was smiling faintly, but David could also see apprehension in his face; he would now manage the entire company without Grandpa Dave’s guidance.

David nodded. Better him than me, he thought.

‘My home, furnishings, and vehicle will all pass into the possession of Scott and Susan Shepherd,’ Marianne then read, ‘or, in the unlikely event of their both passing away prior to said transfer, into the possession of their children.’

At this, there was a wide murmur of approval. Scott Shepherd was David’s older cousin, and had been diagnosed just eight months ago with the same cancer that had taken barely a year to kill Grandpa Dave. He now had only about three more months to live and, not having had any disability insurance, had been in the process of losing his home to foreclosure since he had become unable to work.

At least now, David thought, Susan and the kids will have a roof over their heads, and a little extra income to supplement Scott’s life insurance, if they sell Grandpa Dave’s car. And that’s on top of the forty-five thousand we’re each about to get, he added with a smile.

Looking around the room, David realized Scott was not even present; he was likely in bed either at home or in the hospital again, with his family close by to help him.

‘I have taken steps,’ David’s aunt read on, ‘in the months leading up to my death, to ensure that keepsakes, heirlooms, and other small items have been placed in the care of those whom I think should have them, so there is no need to bother Scott, or bother one another, about this or that trinket or photo or sweater.’

David smiled again. Always so direct.

‘Finally, the only remaining assets in question are the funds in my various bank accounts.’

David’s smile broadened in anticipation.

‘In preface to explaining my wishes regarding these funds,’ Aunt Marianne continued reading, ‘I would like to say a few words about responsibility.’

David bit his lip. With wealth comes responsibility? Grandpa Dave wants us to use his money to help other people, then, and not just ourselves. He nodded again and smiled to himself. I can do that.

‘We all have a great responsibility to provide for our own families,’ Marianne read. ‘We have a responsibility to be productive citizens, and to contribute to our neighborhoods and to our nation. We have another great responsibility, one that extends beyond our own families, beyond even the borders of our great nation, and out to the great human family, of which God is our Father. We have the responsibility to take His gospel to the rest of the world, to those who have not yet received it or the blessings that it brings.

David glanced around uncomfortably. He knew that roughly a quarter of those present were not Latter-day Saints. Two of David’s older uncles had left the Church when they were teenagers, had each married outside the Church, and had raised their children in another religion (or with none at all), and so David suspected that this part of the will might not sit very well with them and their families, especially if it came across as being a condition of the division of Grandpa Dave’s assets. A rumble of concern and even hostility rippled through parts of the room, confirming David’s thoughts.

Marianne continued reading, slightly louder, "‘We each also have the responsibility to earn our living. As was said to father Adam prior to his departure from the Garden of Eden:

"‘In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.’" [5]

David’s anticipation was beginning to turn into apprehension. What was Grandpa Dave getting at? David’s feelings seemed to be echoed in a renewed rustle of concern among his extended family.

‘Work,’ she read on, "‘both physical and mental, helps us to grow. Quoting again the words spoken to Adam, cursed is the ground for thy sake. [6] Or in other words, the fact that food does not spontaneously grow out of the ground for us, but that we have to work for it, is a blessing. It is done for our sakes. It gives us trials and difficulties to overcome, opportunities to exercise our physical and mental muscles, and reasons to learn and to accomplish more than simply pick strawberries our whole lives.’"

In the middle of his growing uneasiness, David remembered Grandpa Dave, a great lover of strawberries, always saying, "Do you think I got to where I am by just picking strawberries? I had to plant them! I had to build things! I had to take a few calculated risks, and I frequently had to learn from my mistakes. Picking someone else’s strawberries stopped for good when we got kicked out of the Garden of Eden, and now we have to plant and cultivate our own." David had always found it an interesting saying; now he found it unsettling, as he didn’t like the direction this was going.

‘Some of you may have come here today,’ Marianne then read, "‘hoping that my material possessions would be divided up among you, so that you could be pushed toward leisurely lives of strawberry-picking. I am sorry to disappoint you, and I hope you will not hold it against me, but I must tell you that this will not be the case. I have grown considerably throughout my life from the things which I have gone through, and from my decades-long efforts to build what I have built. To hand it all over, ready-made, to another person would deprive that person of the growth that they need to experience here on this earth. We are meant to struggle, but we are meant to succeed.’"

David was having difficulty breathing now. Something was squeezing his stomach, and he felt nauseous.

"‘Therefore, to avoid interfering in the responsibility that each of you has to work and grow and learn through trial, and also to attempt to fulfill my own responsibility of helping to spread the gospel as far as possible, the funds in my bank accounts will be withdrawn, the accounts will be closed, and every penny will be donated to the Missionary Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to provide financial support to those brave young