Monday, November 19, 2018

466: ANOTHER WORLD

“A man who has been in another world does not come back unchanged.”
C.S. Lewis
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Some photos from a camping trip on Antelope Island this past weekend. 
 It is amazing what you can see with a zoom lens as well as with a telescope.

Photo taken from Antelope Island looking due north at Fremont Island.

Below photo of the moon taken from the lens of a telescope. 


 Photo of the west side of Antelope Island showing the receding water level of the Great Salt Lake which continues to get lower and lower leaving behind a salty beach.

 Unfortunately I didn't make it up to the summit in time to see the sun go down.  This is the best view I was able to get. 


Another photo of the moon. First time I have been able to capture the blue atmosphere of the moon. 

Seven Ring spiral rock where we camped.

One of hundreds of roaming Bison. No need to drive up to Yellowstone to get up close and personal.





465: FROM PARADISE TO HELL OVERNIGHT

"95 Percent of Our Ward Members Lost Their Homes": An Update on Church Members in Paradise, CA
















Since the Camp Fire erupted November 8 in Butte County, it has killed 77 people, destroyed more than 10,500 homes and torched an area the size of Chicago.

The Camp Fire is already the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. And with 993 people still unaccounted for, officials fear the death toll could keep rising.

As of yesterday. November 18, 2018, the Camp Fire had seared 150,000 acres and was 65% contained.


The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints burns during Camp Fire in Paradise, Calif.. on Thursday, November 8, 2018.



Image result for paradise ca fire


For anyone who is a Father.. this video will inspire you. It shows how to provide hope in the face of danger. Unbelievable.. and although it is a little long. it is worth watching until the very end.


Monday, November 12, 2018

464: LDS CHURCH PLANS TO BUILD ANOTHER LUXURY SKYSCRAPER - THE THIRD TALLEST IN SLC

LDS Church plans to build the third tallest skyscraper in Salt Lake City.


"The new tower would also be directly across the street from City Creek Center, the upscale LDS Church-built, open-air shopping and residential campus. The $1.5 billion mall, built during the Great Recession, opened to the public in 2012."

"The church-backed skyscraper — being called Tower 8 / 95 State in city paperwork — is proposed to rise 395 feet in the air, according to blueprints from San Francisco-based architects with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill."

https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/11/12/lds-church-developer/





Not sure if I have the energy to add commentary to this latest announcement that the Church is going to continue to build luxury high rise buildings when I see so much need for homeless shelters, domestic violence women's facilities, soup kitchens.. or even affordable housing for young families who are struggling... but I guess those endeavors don't bring in revenue to get gain.

Makes you want to ask the question: 
WHAT WOULD JESUS BUILD?
 ...

Thursday, November 1, 2018

463: A PROPHET "UNLEASHED". FINALLY FREE TO DO THE THINGS HE'S WANTED TO DO




President Russell M Nelson's wife says:

He’s finally ‘free to follow through’ with things 

he’s wanted to do.



Russell M. Nelson certainly isn’t afraid to shake things up. The whirlwind of change since he took the faith’s helm proves that.

In fact, says the person closest to him, he thrives on it.

"He's not afraid to do something different,” Wendy Nelson says. “If we're really preparing the church and the world for the Second Coming of the savior, he is sincere about that."

“It is as though he's been unleashed. He's free to finally do what he came to earth to do. … He's free to follow through with things he's been concerned about but could never do. Now that he's president of [the church], he can do those things

...


In my humble opinion, it is never about what we want to do, or to follow through with things we have been concerned about, or things we could never do until we were in a position of power and authority.

To me... It is all about what the Lord, and what He wants done. We don't do anything until He asks us to do it, and we do it exactly in the manner He wants it to be accomplished.

The following is what I would expect a servant of the Lord to say:

"This is my focus: I try to do what I have been asked, when asked to do it, in exactly the manner it is told me to accomplish, and to leave the results entirely to the Lord. If I do only what He asks, then the outcome is His alone. I cannot take credit or blame. I cannot be flattered or criticized, because it has but little to do with me. If it results in something great, then I do not own it and can take no credit for it. If it results in something terrible then I cannot blame myself for failure or take upon myself the disappointment. If I respect man's agency and allow them to choose, then I have discovered that I ought to likewise respect God's agency and allow Him to lead. Given my limitations I may suggest, petition, give observations, protest, and complain to the Lord, but I have no right to reject His direction and fail to follow His instructions.

There is no such thing as a "spiritual accomplishment." As soon as we think we have achieved that our hearts are off track. There is only humility and meekness. These two virtues allow God to accomplish something, because it removes our own vanity and pride from the equation. No matter how well-intended, we are NOT God, we are NOT wise, and we do not have at our disposal enough intelligence to out-think our adversaries. God can. We cannot. If we want to fail, then we just need to take the initiative. If we wish to succeed, then we kneel before God and do as He asks."

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Sidenote:

In a recent interview posted yesterday, President Nelson said the following:

"We're witnesses to a process of restoration,” said the prophet. "If you think the Church has been fully restored, you're just seeing the beginning. There is much more to come.. Wait till next year. And then the next year. Eat your vitamin pill. Get your rest. It's going to be exciting"

So to me if we are in the process to fully restoring the Church.. I would think we would not be reducing, eliminating and subtracting things. Not changing what was first given to us by Joseph Smith..but receiving more Light and Truth, adding to our scriptures, etc. 

Here is a comment that I read recently that sums it up really well.: 

"I think it's a pretty big universe out there; 
"God" likely has more to do than worry about names 
and hours in church and summer-time shows."

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