Tuesday, November 8, 2022

OMINOUS WARNING SIGN? ELECTION DAY 2022

Today is Election Day. Early this morning around 4:00 AM, there was a total lunar ellipse. Another Blood Moon. I believe this to be an important sign. It was meant to be seen. All of weather forecasts predicted cloudy skies this morning with a rain/snow showers. However, I still woke up to see if it would still be possible to see the eclipse. Sure enough, clouds parted and I was able to seen the blood moon. Here are a few photos that I took as earth shadow subsided showing the moon begin to reflect the sun again. 









Sidenote:

A friend of mine spoke recently at the Book of Mormon Evidence Conference that was held in downtown Salt Lake on October 20-22, 2022.  She discussed the parallels between wicked groups (Gadianton robbers and secret combinations) who evolved anciently that ultimately destroyed their civilizations and modern day leaders who are following in the same path.

Here is a link to the recorded talk.

WICKED CORRUPTION! Ancient pattern repeating in America






Tuesday, November 1, 2022

The Deluge Scene.. profound symbolic images.

Today is All Saints Day also known as All Hallows Day. Very few people are aware of the importance of this day. Most are more familiar with yesterday's holiday which was Halloween, meaning the eve before All Hallows Day. Over 505 years ago, Martin Luther chose this holiday to nail his 95 Theses to the door of the Whittenburg Castle church since most would be attending church to observe All Hallows Day. He hoped that many including the religious leaders would see his document. Luther was  man of faith which led him on a quest to find and acknowledge truth despite all opposition encountered. He posted sincere questions and raised concerns on how the Catholic church was using sacred money to build extravagant buildings in the downtown Church headquarters of Rome. 

Although a flawed man, he was nonetheless an instrument in God's hand to begin the Reformation which ultimately led to the Restoration through Joseph Smith. One of the many things restored through Joseph Smith was a translated record of an ancient people who lived on this Covenant Land. Those who preserved this record, saw our day and warned us of the corruption that will happen because of pride. 

"Yea, they have all gone out of the way: they have become corrupted. Because of pride, and because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed up. They rob the poor because of their fine sanctuaries; they rob the poor because of their fine clothing; and they persecute the meek and the poor in heart, because in their pride they are puffed up." 2 Nephi 28:11-13.

So, what are fine sanctuaries? The dictionary defines a sanctuary as a holy place, a temple or church. Could we possibly be guilty of building "fine santuaries"?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently built and dedicated a new church in downtown Salt Lake. This is a most unusual Church building. It is integrated into the upscale office building that the Church also built.  This first photo I took shows the steeple and white stone exterior of the chapel. The other photos show the entire building and how the Chapel fits into the commercial office building. 





I can't help think that this above photo is could be something that Mormon saw in our day. I am not sure how much this high rise building cost, but I am wondering instead of this fine santuary are we robbing the poor. Why not build a homeless shelter for the homeless, a women's facility for the widow, a soup kitchen for the hungry? Instead we build a high rise executive office tower interconnected with our fine sanctuary?   I'll end this post by sharing an excerpt from letter that was forwarded to me. Written by a concerned faithful member, it was sent to the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve.
My concern probably started when I learned about the Church's Ensign Peak fund. I work in corporate finance and understand very well how much $100 billion+ is. That's generational wealth--if the church expenses are really in the $5-$6 billion/yr range (as speculated), reality is all expenses could easily be met just on the interest of the fund alone without any more tithing receipts, and the fund would still grow (albeit at a slower rate). I took time to read the entire SEC filings of the fund to see where, exactly, the over six figures worth of my tithing donations had gone. I was saddened to see that a church that had always taught me to avoid extravagance, worldly possessions, and constantly taught about the ills of social media was investing in Ferrari, Tesla, just about every luxury brand out there, and has significant holdings in Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, and Google. I could tell this wasn't just an index fund that was designed to match market returns, but it was built to maximize wealth. I imagined Christ coming again and asking "why do you think I need this portfolio? I said to feed the poor and care for the needy, not hoard people's donations" and he would disburse it to worthy causes rather quickly."

A friend of mine sent me this tweet right after the end of last session of General Conference.



________________________________________________________________________________

Sidenote:

I wanted to add this addendum. Few pieces of artwork has left such a strong impression on me. Most paintings depict the life of Noah when it comes to illustrating the Great Flood. However, this painting by Joseph Court shows us the life of other people who have been affected by the flood. We see a family in distress, while three members are drowning, it’s up to a young man to save them.  

The Scene of the Deluge painted by Joseph-Desire Court in 1827.

Here is some commentary on the painting.

"All three who are drowning look directly toward the man who could save them with an open mouth probably asking for help, their eyes filled with fear and very little hope. It is clear that the man finally decides to save his father while his child and wife are about to drown on the other side. One may also notice that the wife and the son are easily within reach. Yet he chooses to save the old man, who seems to slip out of his grip. The father may be considered a symbol of the past while the wife is his present and the son his future."

"A young man clings to his past while ignoring what he has now and the opportunities that his future could bring. As a result of his choice, he not only loses his child and wife but also his father who is just out of reach, symbolic of losing his present life and future. It is an allegory about clinging to the past. If you always look to traditions and the past, you will miss out on all the possibilities that the future can bring."

Monday, October 10, 2022

Are you a Saint?

 A saint is not someone who is good. 

A saint is someone who has experienced the Goodness of God.

----

Yesterday I hiked in the early morning hours on a mountain trail I have never hiked before. It was dark when I started, but the full moon helped illuminate my path until the sunrise. It was probably one of the most beautiful days I have ever experienced in the mountains. If you have not gone up into the mountains yet this fall, I would highly recommend driving over Guardsman Pass to see the Fall Colors this week before the leaves fall. 

Latter-day Saints are instructed over and over again to stay on the Covenant Path. I think a better catchphrase slogan would be use the verbs "climb" or "ascend" on the Covenant Path and not use the word, "stay". We teach our dog the command to "Stay". When our dog is obedient to that command, he doesn't move a muscle but "stays" in the same position without making a sound. To Stay means to remain in the same place, in a specified state or position. However, growth and learning requires to move, to climb, to experience new things like sometimes taking a trail that very few are brave enough to ascend in the dark.

Here are a few photos that I took yesterday. 

















Friday, September 30, 2022

GENERAL CONFERENCE WEEKEND -SURPRISE TO VISITORS


“We came to see this building,
where is it?”


There has been alot of visitors coming into Salt Lake City the past two weeks. Last week was the annual Comic-Com Convention where thousands of people dressed in their favorite fantasy costume come to Salt Lake Convention Center. This week thousands of members of the Church of Jesus Christ will flood downtown for General Conference.   What will be a surprise to all of these visitors is how much of downtown has changed. The top visitor sites including Temple Square are now closed and/or demolished on Temple Square. 

 Last week, a friend of mine went to visit the Conference Center which is now a make-shift visitor Center for the LDS Church and talked with the sister missionaries. He asked them how many people come through the building now with Temple Square closed. This was the response of the sister missionaries: 

"They said this summer was hard because almost all of the visitors are members from out of town that are totally disappointed that they can't really visit much on temple square and they heard the temple was under renovation, but didn't expect so many buildings to be closed. Then, they said there are a few nonmembers who come and show them pictures of the temple on their phones and say, “we came to see this building, where is it?” Then they said they have to sheepishly point to the temple and say it is that building across the street that is covered in scaffolding and has all of the spires removed."






So yes. I think people will be in for a huge surprise. Originally the construction area for the Temple Renovation was to be contained around the Temple itself. Below is a map that was on display for the general public. As you can below with the new update 2022 map.. the construction has almost tripled in size. More building have been demolished including the North Visitors Center, the Main Street park and the Reflection Pool completely bulldozed. 















Thursday, September 22, 2022

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE - Fall Equinox 2022

It has been an extremely hot (and long) summer in Utah this year. Today officially ended the summer season. I took my family on an evening hike to watch one of the last summer sunsets. A good way to say goodbye to summer. When I hike with my family, I usually am the last one to summit since I stay behind to take photos. As my last daughter was almost at the top,  I saw my wife reach down to help her up. I snapped the below photo of her doing so.  I believe that the purpose of this life is to help each other ascend. As a friend, parent, spouse, neighbor, we would do well to outstretch our arms to elevate  those we have relationships with. Unfortunately we live in a world were we tear down, criticize, judge, and block other from reaching their full potential. I know I need to be better at doing this. Here are a few photos of our sunset hike together as a family.  


You can see one of my kids with upraised arms on the far right of the photo on top of the mountain. 





Today is the Fall Equinox. I typically wake up early in the morning and head into the mountains and hike up to where I can watch the sunrise on the solstices and equinoxes. Instead, this morning my wife and hiked up together to a beautiful waterfall instead of a mountain peak and watched the sun come up over the falls. We had never hiked to Gloria Falls before. It was absolutely breathtaking. So grateful to observe this day with my wife. 

Gloria Falls in Little Cottonwood Canyon on September 22, 2022

Sunrise over Gloria Falls on September 22, 2022


Sidenote: My friend posted the following on social media today. I asked him for permission to repost what he wrote. These are his words, not mine. I thought he did a great job in capturing the importance of the Fall Equinox today. 

    Today is both the fall equinox and the anniversary of Joseph Smith obtaining the ancient record known today as the Book of Mormon. His wife, Emma, was there with him.
    As to the fall equinox, it is designed, in part, to point our minds to both a temporal and spiritual harvest after a hard and diligent labor on earth. This equinox is meant to be noticed by all:
    "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years."
    As to Joseph obtaining the record, Joseph was only able to do this after a four year maturing process with heaven. The culmination of this process can be rightly called a "harvest" after his diligent labor. Little did he know, that the plates he obtained coincided with the Jewish Holy Day Rosh Hashanah on September 22nd, 1827. A Holy Day of new beginnings and a new year. That is no coincidence.


Tuesday, September 6, 2022

ENDING OF PRIESTHOOD SESSIONS AT GENERAL CONFERENCE?

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced this week that the upcoming 192nd Semiannual General Conference will include a Saturday evening session for all individuals, families and friends. 

President Nelson has made a lot of changes to the Saturday Evening Sessions. It has been difficult to keep track. The Saturday Evening Sessions had gone from alternating the Priesthood Session with a Women's Session to discontinuing the Saturday Evening Session altogether. A month later that decision was  reversed to have the Saturday Evening Session for everyone including the children. It now appears that there will no longer be any more Priesthood Sessions and that the Saturday Evening Session will alternate between the Women's Session and a General Session for everyone. Maybe the 73 year history of having Priesthood Sessions has now ended.



TIMELINE

OCTOBER 1945  
FIRST TIME THE GENERAL PRIESTHOOD SESSION WAS ADDED TO GENERAL CONFERENCE

OCTOBER 1945 -JANUARY 2018
73 YEARS OF GENERAL PRIESTHOODS SESSIONS

JANUARY 14, 2018
PRESIDENT NELSON BECOMES THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE CHURCH

OCTOBER 2018 
OCTOBER CONFERENCES OF PRIESTHOOD SESSION ARE NOW REPLACED WITH WOMEN'S ONLY SESSIONS FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS

October 2018     Women's Session
April 2019         Priesthood Session
October 2019     Women's Session
April 2020         Priesthood Session
October 2020     Women's Session
April 2021         Priesthood Session

JUNE 7, 2021 
President Nelson DISCONTINUES all the Saturday Evening Priesthood Sessions in April and General Women's Sessions in October.  LINK

JULY 27, 2021
In a complete reversal, President Nelson REINSTATES the Saturday Evening Sessions to now be for everyone. LINK

OCTOBER 2021     Saturday Evening Session is for EVERYONE

APRIL 2022     Saturday Evening Session is only for WOMEN'S SESSION

OCTOBER 2022      Saturday Evening Session is for EVERYONE
October 2022 general conference will have five general sessions for all individuals, families and friends — Saturday morning, afternoon and evening, Oct. 1, as well as Sunday morning and afternoon, Oct. 2.

NO MORE GENERAL CONFERENCE PRIESTHOOD SESSIONS?

Monday, September 5, 2022

REPLICATING FAMOUS ARTWORK AWARDS - RUNNER- UP PRESIDENT NELSON?

I came across an interesting article that featured people’s best attempts at replicating famous works of Classic Art. The article was called, 50 Times People Tried to Recreate Famous Artworks and Nailed it 
Below are a few examples:






Sidenote:
Although not part of the article, the below image of President Nelson was featured in the cover story in last week's Church News about the rededication of the Washington DC Temple. While maybe not intentional, the iconic pose definitely could have been included in the above article of recreating a famous piece of artwork. President's Nelson stance and outstretched arms are identical to the artwork of the famous Thorvaldsen statue of the Christus now used as the new logo for the Church. 



The photo and the logo were on adjacent pages in the Church News. 
Hard not to see the subliminal message. 





Friday, August 26, 2022

ALL OF THE SPIRES NOW REMOVED FROM SALT LAKE TEMPLE - Warning: Latest Photos are Shocking

The Salt Lake Temple Renovation and Restoration Project began almost 3 years ago starting in 2019.  President Nelson originally announced that the project would be complete in early 2024. I think the construction crews have faced a lot of  problems and setbacks. The project is now set to be completed in the year 2025.  Every time I go down to see the latest developments, the current state of the Salt Lake Temple  is always shocking to me. This is just my opinion but I am wondering if more damage is being done to the Temple than what an actual earthquake would have done. The spires have now been removed. All of the exterior ornamental granite details have also been removed. All the pioneer era murals on the interior have been destroyed. The Temple has been gutted not only in the inside but the outside as well. It looks like a hollow shell. I was under the impression that the project was to restore the Temple, not completely dismantle and take it apart. What historical renovation project does that? Will the Temple ever be the same again?

I can't help but remember that one month after President Nelson's announcement of the Salt Lake Temple Project, an earthquake hit downtown Salt Lake. The only damage was to the Angel Moroni Statue on top of the Temple. Moroni lost his grasp on the trumpet during Earthquake and the trumpet fell.  Now look at the Temple years later... All of the spires have now been removed. 














QUICK TIMELINE:

April 19, 2019 

Salt Lake Temple Renovation Plans Unveiled. President Russell M. Nelson announced at a news conference on April 19, 2019, that the Salt Lake Temple will close on December 29, 2019, for approximately four years for a major renovation and restoration project including improvements to the surrounding grounds and facilities. The temple is expected to reopen in 2024

March 18, 2020 
Salt Lake Temple's Moroni Loses Grasp on Trumpet During Earthquake

April 2, 2020 
Exterior Stone and Granite Details removed

July 29,2020 
Contents of the Salt Lake Temple Time Capsule were opened exposing the capsule's severely water-damaged content

March 12, 2021 
The First Presidency has announced significant alterations to the original plans for the interior of the Salt Lake Temple. The live-acting, progressive presentation of the endowment from room to room will be replaced by video presentation in single room. The historic murals of the temple have been carefully photographed and removed but will not return.

June 10, 2021 
The North Visitors’ Center on Temple Square will be demolished.

July 16, 2021 
Iconic Christus Statue Removed from the North Visitors' Center

December 13, 2021 
First Presidency Statement on the Salt Lake Temple Renovation It is anticipated that the temple and its surroundings will be completed in 2025.

May 13, 2022 
Salt Lake Temple Reflecting Pool Removed


I hope I am wrong. But I don't think the Temple will ever be the same. I miss what once was.





Friday, August 19, 2022

EXCESSIVE and DISPORPORTIONATE NUMBER OF TEMPLES WITHIN 100 MILES?

If anyone has driven down the 1-15 corridor in Utah, you will see more and more additional Temples being built right off the freeway. We could almost call them "McTemples", since they seem to be built right off the freeway exits next to the McDonalds, and other fast food chains. The distance from Logan to Payson is about 100 miles as the crow flies. There are 21 Temples within that distance. If you spread the Temples evenly along that line, that would put a temple roughly every 4.7 miles. That is alot of Temples. Is that excessive? disproportionate compared to other areas?

We had the Temple President of the Jordan River Temple speak to our Stake a few weeks ago. It was interesting to hear him say that they have been having a hard time staffing the Jordan River Temple and he doesn't know how they are going to staff the Taylorsville Temple that not too far away. Not only is finding enough Temple Workers a problem (even with the Salt Lake Temple closed) but sometimes there is not enough patrons to do the Temple work. A Temple worker in our ward says that she has shown up for her shift only to be sent home because there are not enough patrons coming to the Temple. So my question is why are we building more?



Here are some photos I took of the Provo and Taylorsville Temples that are currently under construction right off the freeway.






That being said, if you were to ask an active LDS member about all the Temples Utah, their likely response would be that the Lord is hastening his work, or that these temples are important to usher in the Millennium. However, the scriptures only indicate that there really is only two prophesied Temples  and I repeat TWO temples, that are actually suppose to be built before the Lord comes. One in New Jerusalem and the other in Old Jerusalem. Yet we continue to announce and build more and more. 

Personally I think we have saturated the Salt Lake area with too many temples and watered down what a Temple should be. 

Here are a few quotes about what a Temple should be:

“Joseph Smith constructed in a ceremony, in a ritual form, the idea of beginning a walk back in which you encountered sentinels along the way, and you demonstrated by the life you have lived that you are in possession of certain standards of conduct, so that eventually you could arrive at the point where you were able to converse with the Lord through the veil. And then having proven yourself true and faithful in all things, you are permitted to enter into the presence of the Lord… What Joseph Smith did was he lived that journey. He accomplished that walk. He made that pathway back to conversing with the Lord through the veil and then entering into the Lord’s presence. He encountered those that were opposed to the walk; he encountered those that were encouraging of the walk… That was what Joseph Smith lived. That was what he described the Restoration as having included. That was what he attempted to turn into a ritual to be housed in a temple, so that everyone in the ceremony could experience the same kind of angelic ministrants coming and talking to you and giving to you the obligation to live a higher life, and then a higher life still, and then yet another higher standard of conduct, until at last you’re purified sufficiently to come and embrace the Lord through the veil, and upon embracing Him through the veil receive from Him not a name, but a seven-fold blessing that stretches from time into eternity.”  from a Mormon History Fireside Talk on  November 22, 2015
Bountiful, Utah

The whole temple message can be summarized in one brief statement: We are to be prepared in all things to receive further light and knowledge by conversing with the Lord through the veil. The ceremony of the temple is not the real thing. It is a symbol of the real thing. The real thing is when a person actually obtains an audience with Jesus Christ, returns to His presence, and gains knowledge by which they are saved. The temple is a revelation of the process by which one may pass through the veil to God’s actual presence. The purpose of a temple is to allow the communication of great knowledge and greater knowledge to restore what has been lost since the time of Adam, in order for people to rise up and receive the Holy Order. A temple in Zion is to be a place where He can come to dwell and not merely to manifest Himself to some. Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the last days’ temple clearly identifies it as a house where man will be instructed in God’s path (see Isaiah 1:5). It will be a facility where the God of Jacob will teach His pathway of ascent back to the Throne of God. Mankind will learn the laws governing that pathway. The purpose of the coming last days’ temple in Zion is to allow the communication of great knowledge and greater knowledge, and to restore what has been lost since the time of Adam.


The temple has only one real purpose: To convey God’s promise to exalt those who experience it; provided they abide the conditions for exaltation. It...gives the initiate a promise that if they walk in the path shown to them they will arrive at the Throne of God in the afterlife.”

“A real temple [one commissioned, ordered, accepted and visited by God’s presence] becomes “Holy Ground” and the means for making available to faithful people in every state of belief and hope the opportunity to receive, by authorized means, the same covenant, obligation, association, expectation and sealing through an authorized and binding arrangement in sacred space. This is the same thing they can receive from God directly if they enter into His presence while still in the flesh. In effect, the temple becomes an extension of heaven…

Friday, June 24, 2022

PLANETARY CONJUNCTION AND SUMMER SOLSTICE WEEK 2022

This morning before sunrise Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn lined up with the moon and sun for a rare alignment. A thunderstorm rolled in last night but the clouds cleared to allow us to see the planets appear through the clouds one by one. As we were hiking to the top of the top of the Peak it not only rained on us but snow also fell. It was amazing that it cleared up in time for us to see this Heavenly sign (actually a continuous scene of a drama being played out in the sky).

Below are a few photos that I took. It was difficult to get all the planets to show so I had to piece together a couple of photos.