26: The Cunning Methods of the Adversary

Saturday night, my wife and I went to the stage adaptation of C.S. Lewis’, The Screwtape Letters. For those not familiar with this book, it is based on a series of letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew, a junior “tempter” named Wormwood. The letters contain “professional” advise on methods of securing damnation of a man known only as “the Patient”.

Here are a few of the methods as outlined in the letters that we might see being used on us today.

• “Indeed the safest road to hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”

• “If you can once get him (the Patient)  to the point of thinking that 'religion is all very well up to a point,' you can feel quite happy about his soul."

• "watering down the faith to make it easier for a supposedly incredulous and hardheaded congregation”

Despite Wormwood valiant attempts of implementing methods to tempt and lead the Patient astray,  the man remains valiant to Christ and is taken up into heaven.

In thinking about what to share from the Screwtape Letters, I just received an email that I felt was very important to send out for others to read. The author of the following would prefer to remain anonymous. I think the adversary and his minions are alive and well in using his tactics on us, the “patients” in this world.  Nephi prophesies of us in these latter days when he says, “they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men. 2 Nephi 28:14.

Follow the Savior:

Culturally we’ve been molded in recent generations to fasten our eyes and eternal hope upon mere men rather than upon God and upon His Son who paid the price of salvational acquittal, and ransomed our freedom Himself. Somehow these singular and cosmically profound salvational acts have been given perfunctory position and superficial status, set off to the side, or reserved for closing remarks, in favor of cliché platitudes of men for other men.

Popular, though ill conceived cultural rhymes which are taught to our children, ingrain such erroneous thinking at an early age, and unless checked, these can form lifelong habits unmerited by scripture or doctrine or reason. One family’s course correction attuned the hearts of their children to the proper polestar of our lives as they would sing, “Follow the Savior.”

Those of us living in these times where mankind has lost its direction and cannot see afar off, would do well to check our own course and adjust our compass as necessary. We live in a time of mortal hero worship where men are placed upon pedestals and podiums, lauded for their seeming extraordinary service, forgetting that the servant of all spoke of Himself in the lowliest of terms.

These sacramental words come to mind; “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”

Why then do we not talk of Christ, rejoice in Christ, preach of Christ, prophesy of Christ, and write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins? Rather, we hear more and more insipid banality of men and the acts of men.

One of the greatest caveats of caution ever spoken were these words: “We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion. Hence many are called, but few are chosen.”

Few choose in indeed. As for me and my house, we will follow the Savior!

—Anonymous

January 29, 2012

25: A FINE SANCTUARY: The Joseph Smith Memorial Building

Last year marked the 100 year anniversary of this elegant  LDS Church Memorial Building that is located east of and overlooks the Salt Lake Temple. This prominent location was previously the site of the Bishop’s Tithing Office. In 1911, the tithing office was moved, and the finest hotel in the Intermountain West, known as the “the Grande Dame of Hotels” was built. After two years of construction and a 2 million dollar price tag, the building was completed on June 9, 2011 with the cooperative effort of church and business leaders.   

Most are unaware that the largest and finest bar in the West was built in the basement of the Hotel to pay off the $2M construction loan. The financing was secured by Presiding Bishop Charles W. Nibley from New York financier Charles Baruch.  The terms of financing  required the sales of hard liquor. When informed of the need to sell alcoholic beverages, “President Joseph F Smith went through the ceiling. Which was it to be? the word of Wisdom or fiscal soundness?”…. The dollar won.” (Hugh Nibley, "Approaching Zion", p. 470. Deseret Book 1989). An unfortunate compromise.

In order to maintain the eloquence and beauty, the Hotel Utah underwent a massive remodeling in the 1970’s that was projected to cost $6 million, but actually exceeded $15 million at completion. Two and half times overbudget.  In the late 80’s and early 90’s, the Church undertook another major remodeling project to change the hotel into a retail and multi-use church building including adding an LDS meeting house and chapel.  The cost was undisclosed.  On the anniversary of the martyrdom of the Prophet, The Joseph Smith Memorial Building was rededicated on June 27, 1993. It was President Gordon B Hinckley who chose the name of the building when he observed that there were many monuments to pioneer leader and Utah founder Brigham Young but none to Joseph Smith.

http://lds.org/ensign/1993/09/a-tour-of-the-joseph-smith-memorial-building?lang=eng

Inside the building are the following features:

• Three dining restaurants: Two upscale restaurants, The Roof (range of $30-60 dollars a plate) and The Garden which are both on the top floor, providing views of the Temple; and the Nauvoo Café on the main floor.
• Many banquet and conference rooms that can be rented out for wedding receptions or dinners.
• A gift shop.
• Church Meetinghouse and Chapel for LDS church services on Sunday.
• Offices for the bishops and other church leaders.
• The Legacy Theater,  a 500 seat theatre with an IMAX sized screen where the public can enjoy inspirational church-produced movies including the Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration.  
• The Family Search center, where the public can use the provided computers and materials to do family history research and genealogy.
• Church headquarters office for Public Affairs and Family History.

This week I took my family to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building to see the new version of the Joseph Smith movie playing in the Legacy Theatre. This new release is expected to help those unfamiliar with Smith's story understand it better than the original did. The revisions to the film included a new narration given by Smith's mother, Lucy Mack Smith, and 40 percent of the film is new content. The revised film is available online, on the Church's YouTube channel—Mormon Messages—and is available for download on their radio service website, the Mormon Channel.
At the beginning of the movie has a disclaimer. “The historical events represented in this story are true.” As to leave no doubt in the viewers mind that everything they will see is truth.  The church has done an amazing job at creating an emotional and an inspirational  movie. Media is very powerful at convening information and events in our minds as truth.  There are interesting subtleties that are put into the movie;  for example, when Lucy bears her testimony at the end of the film, we see Brigham Young putting his arm around her, and kindly helping her back to her seat. Even if certain events did not exactly happen, subconsciously they have a huge impact on us. Nothing that was put in the new movie is on accident, there is a reason. The movie ends with a fly-by of the Salt Lake Temple with the following statement: The Church Jesus Christ re-established in 1830 is today a global faith.  
Interesting choice of words… re-established, global, Church.
I think I would prefer:  restored, personal, and Gospel
…………………………..

Addendum:

Just an interesting quote from President Gordon B Hinckley’s given at dedication of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in 1993:

“This is a wonderful day—the completion of a tremendous project, which I am confident was inspired by the Lord,” remarked President Hinckley during the dedication ceremonies. “I am satisfied He wanted it this way. I am satisfied that the time had come when the Church should no longer be in the business of running the Hotel Utah as a hotel. ..Some people may feel in their hearts that we have been extravagant,” he observed. “We hope there won’t be any feelings of that kind. … Nothing is too good to remember the Prophet Joseph Smith, called and ordained of God to open this, the dispensation of the fulness of time.”

24: CLOSER TO BUILDING ZION?

This is a re-post of an email I sent out. A friend needed to reference for a quote, so I am posting it on this blog.

Are we getting closer to building Zion city? or Babylon?Having been born and raised in Utah, I have always considered my hometown of Salt Lake to be the premiere place to live and raise a family. Our city was to be the Ensign to all nations, a city built on a hill, the headquarters of the LDS church, the residence of our living prophet . It is easy to become prideful in thinking that our city is more righteous than all of the other cities… especially when we compare ourselves to other cities like Las Vegas or Los Angeles.Here is a photo that I took today of the Salt Lake Valley from Ensign Peak. (Interesting to note that you have to look carefully to see the temple amongst the tall business buildings, banks, and high rise apartments and hotels.)





While compared to more Babylonian cities, we might look good.. but what if we compare ourselves to a true Zion, the city the Lord will dwell in His Glory at His Second Coming? Are we getting closer to that ideal or are we moving farther away…closer to Babylon? My daughter asked me the other day.. where is Jesus going to live when He comes back? I told her that we need to build a place where Holy people live that love Him. She told me that she didn’t think that was possible because there is so many bad people. Is she right?.. is it possible for us to create such a place in our current state and our love for material and temporal things?

So are we getting closer to building a Zion City? If possible, one of the best people to ask for advice would be ENOCH, the greatest city builders in the world. If only we could see his master plans of his city. I have always been curious to know what he did to build his translated city? Did he build luxurious apartment buildings, high-end retail space with fine dining and upscale department store shopping malls? Would he invest and spend billions of dollars on an extravagant city center in order to attract the world to come to his city? Are we getting closer to that ideal or are we moving farther away…are we moving closer to Zion or Babylon?”

I find that highly unlikely, then so why do we?

From the LDS church website: http://www.downtownrising.com/

“In October of 2006 the LDS Church announced major plans to invest in huge development on two blocks in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City. The investment includes a destination retail development, along with high quality housing and office space. . Nearly $2 billion will be invested in the project during the next five years.” "Some of the most sacred ground for the church ... is immediately adjacent to this project and part of the reason we are proceeding with it," Bishop Burton said.. A mix of condominiums, townhouses and apartments will provide a "wide variety of accommodations for people who desire to live, work, shop and worship downtown," Bishop Burton said.


Is this building Zion? Shopping? Fine Dining? Expensive and luxurious apartments for the wealthy?... What happened to the sharing all things in common? No rich.. no poor among us?


Now available for sale are these million dollar apartment/condos called City Creek Apartments an LDS real estate venture overlooking the temple . Here is a view of this upscale apartment for sale. Beautiful. Make you want to envy those who live there…. Wait we are not to envy, covet etc in Zion.





Here is a picture I took today of the progress of the shopping mall,, next to LDS church dedicated Zion’s Bank across from the Salt Lake Temple. Would this have been approved by the city planners in the City of Enoch?





We all rationalize in thinking that it is not time for us to build Zion. We believe that the Lord will direct the prophet to tell us when it is time. Plus, all of the billions of dollars spent on building this shopping center next to the temple will help convert members when they come visit downtown Salt Lake. Money well spent instead of helping those in need… Do we seriously believe this? Do we really want to attract and receive the praise of the world? Have we read the Book of Mormon lately and read the warnings that are directed to us? How about Mormon 8: 37-39

“For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted. O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies—because of the praise of the world?”

Addendum:

When the Church was only a year old, the Prophet Joseph observed that “God has often sealed up the heavens because of covetousness in the Church.” Three years later, God revoked that “united order” by which along Zion could exist on earth (D&C 104:52-53) – in their desire for wealth, the Saints had tried to embrace both Babylon and Zion. We have the word of the Prophet Joseph that Zion is not to be built up by using the methods of Babylon. He says,

‘Here are those who begin to spread out buying up all the land they are able to do, to the exclusion of the poorer ones who are not so much blessed with this worlds goods, thinking to lay foundations for themselves only, looking to their own individual families and those who are to follow them….Now I want to tell you that Zion cannot be built up in any such way.”

Brigham Young explains: “I am sorry that this people are worldly-minded…Their affections are upon…their farms, upon their property, their houses and possessions, and in the same ratio that this is the case, the Holy Spirit of God – the spirit of their calling – forsakes them, and they are overcome with the spirit of the evil one.”

From Hugh Nibley’s “Approaching Zion”

“So money is the name of the game by which the devil cleverly decoys the minds of the Saints from God’s work to his. “What does the Lord want us up here in the tops of these mountains?” Brigham asked twenty years after the first settling of the Valley. “He wishes us to build up Zion. What are the people doing? They are merchandizing, trafficking and trading.”…”Instead of reflecting upon and searching for hidden things of the greatest value to them, [the Latter-day Saints] rather wish to learn how to secure their way through this world as easily and as comfortably as possible.

“In Zion you labor, to be sure, but not for money, and not for yourself, which is the exact opposite of our present version of the work ethic.

nd lastly from President Spencer W Kimball.

“If we lust…for the riches of the world, and spare no pains [hard work] to obtain and retain them, and feel ‘these are mine,’ then the spirit of the anti-Christ comes upon us. This is the danger…[we] are in.”Many people spend most of their time working in the service of a self-image that includes sufficient money, stocks, bonds, investment portfolios, property, credit cards, furnishings, automobiles, and the like to guarantee carnal security throughout, it is hoped, a long and happy life.

23: KEEP UP THE FULL ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH, SO THAT THE DEVIL COULD TAKE NO ADVANTAGE OF US

“It was necessary to keep up a full organization of the Church all through time as far as could be.

At least the three First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve, Seventies,

and Patriarch over the whole Church …

so that the devil could take no advantage of us.”

Brigham Young

Today, January 9, 2012 is the birthday of Eldred G Smith. He is 105 years old. Eldred Smith is a great-great-grandson to Hyrum Smith, Joseph Smith’s brother. He is the Emeritus Patriarch of the Church.

He is the oldest living General Authority in the history of the Church. Last year in 2011, he surpassed David O. McKay as the longest-serving general authority in LDS Church history. He deserves more attention than he receives.  The Church has undergone tremendous changes since Joseph Smith, including the gradual dissolving in importance of the office of Patriarch of the Church.

Most do not know that Joseph Smith, by revelation, established two presiding offices: The President of the High Priesthood and the Patriarch of the Church. The President (Joseph Smith) presided. But the Patriarch stood by with keys to ordain the next President and provide for orderly transition from one President to the next. The Patriarchal office is by lineage or descent, thus avoiding the possibility of men seeking for power, position and/or control. The Lord’s checks and balances.

Eldred Gee Smith should have become Patriarch in 1932, at the death of his father. However, Pres. Heber J. Grant was "evidently reticent" to have him be the new Patriarch, so the important ecclesiastical office was left vacant for a decade.  Apparently President Grant was conflicted about the Patriarch because he considered himself a descendant of Joseph Smith by sealing and the Patriarch was competition to that; and therefore he did not want the Patriarch to ordain him president. He had the Twelve ordain him.  However, 10 years later, President Grant disregarded the patrilineage and ordained Joseph Fielding Smith to the office. President Grant also had the name change from "Presiding Patriarch" to "Patriarch to the Church."

After the serving for only 4 years,  Patriarch Joseph Fielding Smith was discovered to have had homosexual relations and was released by President George Albert Smith.  Eldred G Smith was then rightly selected as the next Presiding Patriarch and served in that position for the next 32 years. Eldred regularly spoke in General Conferences; hhowever, in 1979, he was placed on emeritus status by the First Presidency and no new Patriarch was called to replace him. At his death, the office of Patriarch to the Church, which once rivaled that of the President of the Church, will cease to exist.

Most don’t even know Eldred G Smith exists as a 105 year old living man today. However, I think we all should sent out a Happy 105^th Birthday Wish to him.

…………………………..

Sidenote:

“Whenever a patriarch after 1844 tried to magnify his presiding office, the Twelve and First Presidency recoiled in apprehension. However, when individual patriarchs seemed to lack administrative vigor, the Twelve and First Presidency criticized them for not magnifying their office. Few men could walk such an ecclesiastical tightrope. For various reasons the First Presidency and Twelve were in conflict with seven out of eight successors of the original Presiding Patriarch, Joseph Smith, Sr. The hierarchy finally resolved the situation on 6 Oct 1979 by making Eldred G. Smith an “emeritus” general authority without replacing him. This permanently “discontinued” the office of Patriarch to the Church. … Vacating the office in 1979 ended the conflicts. However, according to Brigham Young’s instructions, the 1979 action made the church vulnerable: “It was necessary to keep up a full organization of the Church all through time as far as could be. At least the three first Presidency, quorum of the Twelve, Seventies, and Patriarch over the whole Church … so that the devil could take no advantage of us.[15]” It is beyond the scope of this analysis to assess such metaphysical vulnerability. Administratively, however, the decision to leave the patriarch’s office vacant after 1979 streamlined the hierarchy and removed a source of nearly constant tension." Quinn, Extensions of Power, p. 131

Addendum:

Interestingly the term "Prophet" was not applied to a living man holding the office of "President of the Church" until 1955, during the administration of David O. McKay. The term "Prophet" until that time always meant exclusively Joseph Smith, and not the office holder of President. Before then it was "President Young" and "President Taylor" and "President Woodruff" and so on. However, in 1955 the Church News began a new practice of referring to the living President McKay as a "Prophet." It was felt that changing the reference to the living President would result in quicker acceptance of direction from him, and less criticism of the President. (President Grant was the most unpopular Church President in the Church's history, and that was something they hoped to avoid happening again.) It worked. No-one wants to reject counsel from a living prophet of God.

22: PHILOSOPHIES OF MEN MINGLED WITHOUT SCRIPTURE

The word "philosophy" comes from the Greek word which literally means “love of wisdom”. To led the posterity of Adam astray, Satan uses philosophies (or wisdom) and mingles it with scripture. Mixing God’s wisdom with man’s wisdom is one of the best devices that the adversary uses.  

We all seek for wisdom here in mortality as we earnestly try to live an abundant life.  An abundant life means fully sufficient, abounding, and overflowing.  Satan would try to convince us that an “abundant” life is possible without Christ.  Since most will not read the newest 2012 Ensign until the end of the month just prior to going hometeaching, I thought I would give a preview of the First Presidency Message.  The message teaches us how all of us can have and live the abundant life.  Here are a few of some well known philosophers that are quoted:  

·         William James:  an American psychologist and philosopher

·         Charles Swindoll:  an Evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator and radio preacher

·         William Shakespeare: an English poet and playwright

·         Thomas Fuller: an English churchman and historian

·         Ralph Waldo Emerson: an American essayist, lecturer, and poet

I could have missed it since the message was fairly short, but I don’t remember reading any scripture  let alone any reference to Jesus Christ. I wonder if we have reached a point that we no longer need to mingle in scripture.

Here is the entire message written by President Monson:

Living the Abundant Life

At the advent of a new year, I challenge Latter-day Saints everywhere to undertake a personal, diligent, significant quest for what I call the abundant life—a life filled with an abundance of success, goodness, and blessings. Just as we learned the ABCs in school, I offer my own ABCs to help us all gain the abundant life.

Have a Positive Attitude

A in my ABCs refers to attitude. William James, a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher, wrote, “The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.”1

So much in life depends on our attitude. The way we choose to see things and respond to others makes all the difference. To do the best we can and then to choose to be happy about our circumstances, whatever they may be, can bring peace and contentment.

Charles Swindoll—author, educator, and Christian pastor—said: “Attitude, to me, is more important than … the past, … than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.”2

We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. For maximum happiness, peace, and contentment, may we choose a positive attitude.

Believe in Yourself

B is for believe—in yourself, in those around you, and in eternal principles.

Be honest with yourself, with others, and with your Heavenly Father. One who was not honest with God until it was too late was Cardinal Wolsey who, according to Shakespeare, spent a long life in service to three sovereigns and enjoyed wealth and power. Finally, he was shorn of his power and possessions by an impatient king. Cardinal Wolsey cried:

Had I but served my God with half the zeal

I served my king, He would not in mine age

Have left me naked to mine enemies.3

Thomas Fuller, an English churchman and historian who lived in the 17th century, penned this truth: “He does not believe that does not live according to his belief.”4

Don’t limit yourself and don’t let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities.

You can achieve what you believe you can. Trust and believe and have faith.

Face Challenges with Courage

C is for courage. Courage becomes a worthwhile and meaningful virtue when it is regarded not so much as a willingness to die manfully but as a determination to live decently.

Said the American essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide on, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.”5

There will be times when you will be frightened and discouraged. You may feel that you are defeated. The odds of obtaining victory may appear overwhelming. At times you may feel like David trying to fight Goliath. But remember—David did win!

Courage is required to make an initial thrust toward one’s coveted goal, but even greater courage is called for when one stumbles and must make a second effort to achieve.

Have the determination to make the effort, the single-mindedness to work toward a worthy goal, and the courage not only to face the challenges that inevitably come but also to make a second effort, should such be required. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, “I’ll try again tomorrow.”

May we remember these ABCs as we begin our journey into the new year, cultivating a positive attitude, a belief that we can achieve our goals and resolutions, and the courage to face whatever challenges may come our way. Then the abundant life will be ours.

.............................................................

If this trend continues, maybe we might consider changing our name to "The Church of Great Literature for Latter Day Saints".

21: MODIFYING OR DELETING PARTS OF THE ORIGINAL

_______________________________________________________________________________
Do we have the right to modify, change, tamper and/or delete parts of a master’s original work?

Most Mormons appreciate the work of the master artist, Carl Bloch. The Museum at Brigham Young University recently showcased many of his paintings in an exclusive exhibit held earlier this year. The Church often uses his paintings in their publications, manuals and as recently as this month’s Ensign (December 2011).

However, there are elements in some of the paintings that we don’t like. Now that this master artist is dead, we have removed those things we are uncomfortable with to fit our taste, preference and doctrines. We can justify the changes since the opinions of the majority prefer the new look.  We tend to pick and choose from what was created before and take out what we might consider in an error to begin with, since we have more truth today. We don’t like wings on our angels.. so we have “professionals” alter the original work of art.

Below left is Carl Bloch’s original painting entitled, The Resurrection. There is beauty in the composition, the symbols used, and the colors. … but we don’t like the two winged angels that are kneeling. So in this month’s Ensign the new version of the painting has the “new and approved” version of the painting with wingless angels.  

I wonder how the creator of this masterpiece would feel now after a hundred years later since he finished this painting, that we feel we have the right to change and delete from his original painting.  

Obviously, the church felt they had good reason to remove the wings. But I wonder, where does the modifying/changing stop?  If we were in possession of the Ark of the Covenant, would we also remove the wings of the two cherubim? Should we also change the text in scripture, especially in Ezekiel,  when this prophet not only describes personages with two wings but with six?  Wings symbolize “movement forward”, and power. They represent something celestial/heavenly and not earthly. Yet, we feel we need to change things to fit into our present day paradigm of what we think things should look like, even though that was not what the original master and creator intended.  Is this the only example of deletions, changes, altering, or modifying from an original? Have we ever been warned not to change, modify, remove or alter things?  The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, 'Ordinances instituted in the heavens before the foundation of the world, in the priesthood, for the salvation of men, are not to be altered or changed.'… But that is an entirely different post.

20: ETHEREAL SUBSTANCE OF A TRUE PROPHET

My last post was about AWAKING AND ARISING.  Here is some more thoughts on the subject that I just read today that I thought I should share. Quotes are taken from a lecture entitled, “The Mission of Elijah Reconsidered”.

“Repentance is a critical thing. It is the message of the Book of Mormon. It is the greatest message contained in the book of Isaiah and it is the message of all true prophets. There are two things that generally stir you up to repentance. The first thing is to awaken to your awful situation. The second is to arise, and connect with the source that will cure what is wrong with you. We are not self-curing. We are filled with that same shame that came in the beginning as a consequence of doing what we were not suppose to be doing. The greatest way the adversary keeps us in a state of slumber is to prevent us from looking about and awakening to the awful situation we find ourselves. Hugh Nibley commented on more than one occasion that there is nothing quite as annoying as being awakened out of a deep sleep. No one really likes that. When it comes right down to it, unconsciousness is a very pleasurable thing; particularly when what you awaken to what we face here.”

Repentance means change. Repentance actually means you turn from the direction you are facing. Whatever direction you are facing, turn from that direction, and face God. When you turn to God and face Him and let Him be the object of your focus and your attention, then you have repented. ―Facing‖ your job, or your favorite sports team, or your religious hobby, or even your church leaders is not the same thing as facing God.

God imparts intelligence, light and truth face Him. You cannot learn what He imparts if you refuse to  face Him. When you strain His light through another man, even a very good man, you lose a vital connection we are all intended to possess.”

……………………………..

Sidenote:

I taught gospel doctrine last week on first chapters in the Book of Revelations which contain John’s  seven letters to the seven churches. It was interesting to study the historical and geographical information about each of the churches. I saw the pattern of the rapid decline into apostasy from the true gospel of  Jesus Christ.  With the exception of the few humble followers of Christ, most residents of these seven locations where successful , wealthy, and self sufficient. They enjoyed the honors of men as the continued to compromise with the world. Along with the Roman influence of building temples to Deity, they also built buildings that in essence worshipped “men” including their living human leaders which they considered divine.

What I found to be very interesting, is that the final letter to the seventh church did not contain any commendation/praise from the Lord. The church had became lukewarm, seeking unity with everyone, showing tolerance for any doctrinal aberration and interpreting it as love. It is reflective of a Church that at end of the age has come under the influence of the world instead of being an influence in the world. The Laodicean church thought they were doing well and were spiritual. After all they were rich, so of course God must be blessing them. The wealthy mostly dress well and talk about their possessions to impress people. They focus on outward appearances and worldliness. But these people did not know their inward condition; they were blind and could not see.

But, today we have a living prophets to teach us. I just read an article in the Church News that announced the completion of  President Monson’s life-size sculpture which is now on display. The article interviewed the artist and here was just a few lines that I found interesting.

“Studying the life of his subject helped me learn more about President Monson – his fishing stories, his travels,  his many experiences. The artist knew that tens of thousands of people would eventually view the bust during visits to the Conference Center. He hoped the finished product would speak to each viewer. He understood that his artistic charge was to capture more than President Monson’s physical likeness – he had to capture the ethereal substance of a living prophet.”

I had to look up the word, ethereal. I found that the phase, “ethereal substance” was an oxymoron. Ethereal:  lacking material substance, immaterial, intangible. Substance: having physical matter or material, tangible.  I am not sure what ethereal substance is.. but I do know that when reading the scriptures, the only necessary “substance” for a true prophet is to know Christ  and  to preach repentance.

19: AWAKE and ARISE.... or RISE and FALL

If you drive along the I-15 freeway in Utah, you cannot help but see billboards with the two words “RISE UP”  in large bold font.  These advertisements are not a plea to join the Occupy Wall Street protests,  but instead are part of BYU’s publicity campaign to increase excitement for their football team’s new independent status.

The LDS Church is also making use of the word RISE in their clever slogan for their massive construction project in downtown Salt Lake.  It is called “Downtown RISING,” where billions of dollars have been spent on the new retail shopping center, office space, restaurants, and condominiums that are scheduled to open on spring equinox in 2012.  A spokesman for the church’s real estate development arm is calling next year “the Year of Retail.”    

Below is a photo of the high RISE buildings that have been built up around the temple. Mostly all of the buildings are banks or other financial institutions. I have labeled most of the prominent buildings. All of the names on the right are color coded. NINE of the buildings (in GREEN) are predominantly bank buildings and their offices. SIX of the building (IN RED) are part of the Church’s new Downtown Rising project.

HERE IS THE LIST OF THE NEW STORES COMING TO THE LDS MALL MEANT TO BEAUTIFY THE TEMPLE SURROUNDINGS:

• Tiffany & Co. — Luxury and fashion jewelry and watches; along with leather goods, china and crystal gifts

• Porsche Design — Accessories, luggage, sports apparel, men’s shoes, electronic products and a men’s fragrance line.

• Bose — High-end retail electronics

• Brooks Brothers— High-end business and casual clothing

• Coach — High-end leather goods

• Cotton On — Australian brand men’s and women’s clothing and accessories.

• L'OCCITANE — The France-based brand of skincare, body care and fragrance products

• Love Culture — Fashions and accessories, including clothing, jewelry, bags and sunglasses

• LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics — British brand fresh handmade cosmetics.

• N3L Optics — High-end performance eyewear.

• PANDORA — Hand-finished jewelry.

• Papyrus — Custom-printed stationery, note cards, journals and unique gifts

• Swarovski — Fashion jewelry, accessories and watches, as well as home accessories and décor objects

• TUMI — Premium travel, business and lifestyle accessories

While using the word “rise” in marketing slogans today might seems clever and positive, the word RISE in scripture usually always has a negative connotation. Definitions of the word “rise” include “to revolt" and "to puff up or become larger… to swell up, expand.” Rise is also word used when speaking about making bread, as it was the yeast—or leaven—that would cause the bread to “rise”.  Yeast was synonymous with sin… since it has the same effects that sin (pride, wealth, and power) has, to cause us to be “puffed up".

It is important to note that leaven or yeast is basically old, fermented dough that is placed in new dough in order to make it rise. You only need to add a very small amount of fermented dough to make new dough rise. Galatians 5:9 describes this very thing, saying, "…a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump."  Carrying this out to sin, it can be said that "a little sin can wind up destroying the whole body."

Could money be considered a “leaven”?

Wilford Woodruff wrote the people in those days, like Israel of old, associated certain worldly successes with their ideas of right, and misfortunes with their ideas of wrong. That of course would make them morally obligated to get rich.  Since we 'can buy anything in this world with money,' it is the tool that Satan created and uses. The word “money” itself comes from the Latin word “moneta” which means “warning”, as well as from the French word monēre which means caution, or warning.

Surely the prophet Moroni, who saw our day and is writing to us, is probably talking about all the other churches, and not us. Right?

“Yea, it shall come in a day when the power of God shall be denied, and churches become defiled and be lifted up in the pride of their hearts; yea, even in a day when leaders of churches and teachers shall RISE in the pride of their hearts, even to the envying of them who belong to their churches.” Mormon 8:28 

He continues in the verses in 36-38 about our love for money and our substance and our fine apparel.

What are we saying when we have our youth proudly declare that they are the "rising generation"?

On the flip side, all throughout scripture, the Lord repeatedly commands us to ARISE…not RISE. There is a remarkable difference.

ARISE means "to ascend, or move to a higher place…" Arise is a state of being or becoming.

"Awake and arise and go forth to meet the Bridegroom; behold and lo, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord." Doctrine and Covenants 133:1

However, before we ARISE… we must AWAKE. No one likes to be woken up to their awful situation, but it is the necessary step before ARISING and going forth and meeting the Bridegroom.

Isaiah and Nephi mention several times the importance of arising, counseling the members to "Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion." (2 Nephi 8:25). But unlike the FALL that inevitably accompanies RISING, when one shakes himself from the dust (sins) of the world, they ARISE then SIT DOWN—on their throne as a joint heir with Christ.

They qualify for such, because in the process of accepting this command and invitation to ARISE, they have come to know the very Christ himself, the Holy One of Israel, even the gatekeeper:

Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.

3 Nephi 11:14

…………………………………………Endnotes:

Leaving the Mountain West Conference improved BYU’s revenues since they could then sign their ESPN contract which brings in close to $1 million per game. Also, the potential of receiving a bowl invitation would also bring in a lucrative amount of money…  And since the Cougars are not in a conference anymore, they can keep the entire payout instead of sharing it with other teams. 

………………

“SOME RISE BY SIN, and SOME BY VIRTUE FALL.” William Shakespeare.

18: DON'T UPSET THE APPLE CART

Here is something I read yesterday. I wrote this in an email to friend who asked if I had any gospel insight for him. Not much insight, but thought I would post what I wrote to him on this blog.

It has to do with Samuel the Lamanite.  As we all know know, Samuel was chosen to be a prophet.. to prophesy, to preach repentance and to warn of the approaching destructions prior to the Lords appearance and ministry. This introduces a change from predominant culture/tradition of the Nephites who previous prevailed in having prophets, seers, and revelators come from amongst themselves and the approved line of authority.  I find it quite interesting that of all places the Lord sends Samuel to preach.. is right in the epicenter of the Nephite religious headquarters in Zarahelma where the Temple was located.  No wonder the Nephites didn’t like Samuel. I mean what credentials did Samuel have? Who was he? He was their enemy.. a Lamanite!

But even still.. the voice of the Lord came unto Samuel and he did what he was asked. We read in Helaman 13: 5…  “Behold, I, Samuel, a Lamanite, do speak the words of the Lord which he doth put into my heart; and behold he hath put it into my heart to say unto this people.” I love that scripture.

But that isn’t really what  I wanted to share… What I really enjoyed reading was one of the fulfillments of Samuels prophesies which was NOT written down by the religious leaders/apostles.  In 3 Nephi 18, the Lord wonders why they did not do so. This is the Lord speaking to Nephi and the other disciples.

Verily I say unto you, I (the Lord) commanded my servant Samuel, the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this people, that at the day that the Father should glorify his name in me that there were many saints who should arise from the dead, and should appear unto many, and should minister unto them. And he said unto them: Was it not so? And his disciples answered him and said: Yea, Lord, Samuel did prophesy according to thy words, and they were all fulfilled. And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them? And it came to pass that Nephi remembered that this thing had not been written. And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written; therefore it was written according as he commanded.

So what I find beautiful is that MANY saints arose from the dead.. appeared to MANY and ministered to them. I find that amazing. What a story to tell and to record.. I look forward to reading those records sometime.  J

17. TWO CONVERT FAMILIES:

The Story of Two Convert Families.

A few weeks ago, two families were baptized in our stake. I have felt prompted to share their stories, but have changed their names to keep their privacy.

The first is the Jose and Maria Ramos family. They have two twin daughters. They live in the poorest area of our stake. The apartments where they live are considered some of the worst in the city.  Earlier this year, some of the apartments were badly damaged due to a fire. Jose  lost his job and has been in need of welfare assistance. Not yet a member of the church, Jose came to see the Bishop for some help. The Bishop offered assistance, but asked him to attend Church. Jose attended church that following Sunday and has attended ever since. In addition, Jose has been diligent in fulfilling the other requirements to receive the welfare needed for his family. The Ramos family were invited to take the missionary discussions. They had taken the discussions previously, but were not baptized. Jose and Maria’s twin daughters have been against their parents joining the church, which was a probable factor that the parents were not baptized earlier. The Ramos family are poor, yet humble and sweet people.. salt of the earth. After overcoming a few things needed to qualify for baptism, they were baptized two weeks ago,  the night before our Regional Conference. It was a simple baptism with a few ward members present.  Those who attended felt an outpouring of the Spirit.

The second family is Ricardo and Anna Castillo family.  Ricardo is a wealthy successful business man who has experienced both successes and failures in the corporate world. Currently his business is doing extremely well. He and his wife recently moved into our stake and bought one of the more expensive homes in the area.  He has been taking  the missionary discussions and attending one of the more affluent wards in our stake even though he lives in a different ward boundary. Ricardo is an intelligent and charismatic man.  The Castillos were also baptized two weeks ago on the morning of Regional Conference. The Stake Center was packed with cars. The entire Stake Presidency was in attendance as well as many of the High Council. I had run by the Stake Center that morning and thought maybe there was an morning leadership meeting since there were so many cars in the parking lot. I am sure those that attended also felt and outpouring of the Spirit.

The number of baptisms were mentioned in both the Leadership Session and the Adult Session of Stake Conference that day.  However, Richardo and Anna Castillo were mentioned by name and  highlighted in one of the Stake Presidencies talks.  Furthermore, in the Adult evening session during his talk, our Stake President actually turned over a block of time to Ricardo Castillo to bear his testimony (via an interpreter since he preferred to speak in Spanish instead of English) Instead of bearing testimony, Ricardo said he would like to share something else.. which turned out to be his story of his business ventures.. his successes and his failures.  

Now, I am grateful that two families have joined the church. However, when I read the Book of Mormon, I find that we don’t realize that could easily fall into having our church being separated into classes. We tend to lift up those with financial wealth and discard those who are the poor among us. We usually recognize and cater to the successful, and despise those who are poor because of their poverty as to the things of the world.  My purpose in sharing this is to show how sometimes we tend to apply different rules to the affluent. Give more attention to those who have wealthy and overlook those who are the few humble followers of Christ.  2 Nephi 28: 14

Sidenotes:

• No one from the Ramos family was asked to bear testimony. Even their names were not mentioned in the meeting even though they were in attendance.
• Despite the strict directive from our Stake President that each member should attend the ward where they reside.. currently the Castillo’s are still attending another ward. Apparently the rules do not apply to them.

16. ENCROACHMENT OF BABYLON

photo taken from Ensign Peak on September 22,2011

 I will write more about this shortly.

15. CHURCH AUTHORITY

photo taken of SL Temple and Church Office Building looking westward

on September 23, 2011

LDS leader dismissed after criticizing Friends of Scouting –

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52619808-78/scouting-thomas-friends-scout.html.csp

Kenny Thomas says he could not in good conscience lead the annual Friends of Scouting fund drive in his LDS ward in Herriman without first sending an email to members to tell them that the money helps pay high salaries for Boy Scout executives and doesn’t stay with their local scout units.

He says that upset his stake president, who persuaded his bishop to release him after four months as president of the ward Young Men organization. The stake president sent him an email saying he was “appalled” at “misinformation” Thomas spread and suggested he did not “follow the prophet.”

David C. Roth, president of the LDS Herriman South Stake, told The Tribune that Thomas was “released because of his unwillingness to support scouting in general,” which is an activity arm of Young Men in the church, “and not just because of what he did with Friends of Scouting.”

Thomas says, meanwhile, “It’s pretty clear I was released because of what I did with Friends of Scouting,” and says he only distributed what he feels is truthful information from such sources as The Tribune. “I don’t think any member of the church should be afraid of standing up for the truth.”

The episode comes after The Tribune last month reported about how the LDS Church locally uses higher pressure methods for its Friends of Scouting drives than do other groups nationally, including having stake presidents and bishops ask members for $50 to $100 each, and sending armies of Scouts to knock on every door in their boundaries (including people who are not LDS) to seek money.

The story also noted that money from the drives helps pay big salaries. Local scout councils declined to give the current salaries of executives. But past tax forms showed, for example, that former Great Salt Lake Council executive Paul Moore made $228,000 annually before leaving to head a council in Los Angeles where he is paid $383,500.

Thomas said he had already been looking into — and was upset by — how the Boy Scouts spent Friends of Scouting money and other funds. He said that started a year ago when he saw his ward was paying far more for what he calls “ramshackle” Scout camps than it was for higher-quality girls camps run by the church.

“Facilities were awful, and the latrines were literally unusable,” he said. “Friends of Scouting money was supposedly going to help fund the camps, too, but it didn’t appear to be percolating down. And anytime a boy wanted to do something there — like shooting or rappelling — they charged an extra fee.”