(In which I am completely sacreligious and compare Joss Whedon to Jesus Christ)

So, I was asked to speak in our church a month or so ago. We LDSs have a lay ministry, so if you go to church long enough, eventually you will get to help with just about everything. It isn't a super big deal, but I thought up this great analogy that I didn't have time to bring up there, and I liked it so I decided to share it here.

Ever heard of Joss Whedon? He is a writer/director/producer, he has made TV shows and movies and comic books, and even if you are not a super geek like me, you have seen something that he made or helped make, I promise. Avengers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Toy Story, the man is a genius (really, go check out his IMDb page right now).

For the purposes of this discussion, you really only need to know that right now he is in very high demand in the TV/Movie world. He is popular and trendy and he has a great reputation. He tends to work with the same actors over and over and they seem to jump at the chance to work with him again. Everything he does is good. Every project he works on opens up more opportunities for the people involved.

And I saw an interview with Nathan Fillion, an actor I like who has worked with Joss Whedon a lot. He was talking about "Much Ado about Nothing" which Joss Whedon directed as a fun "little" side project with some friends while on vacation. Apparently, it was difficult for Nathan, and he wouldn't have chosen to do Shakespeare if hadn't been Joss doing the asking. And here is my favorite quote: he said, "Rule number 1: when Joss Whedon calls you, and says "Would you like to...." you say yes."

(youtube clip below)

I love that. I think it speaks so highly of him that people who have worked with him before trust that anything he does will be a good experience and turn out well.

And this is how I feel about callings in my church. I don't do it for my health. It certainly isn't often convenient or even well suited to my personality. But if my God asks me to do something, I say yes. I love Jesus Christ enough, and I trust him enough, that I know that anything we work on together is going to turn out well and will put me in a position to do even more things that I love.

To me, going to all of the meetings I'm asked to, making meals, cleaning the church, teaching lessons, all of that, is because I respect Jesus Christ and I believe that any thing he does is something I want to be a part of.

And that is why I frequently do things that are not necessarily fun or easy. And I have a lot of people who look at me like I am crazy. But its worth it.