A NEUTRAL BALANCE OF OPPOSITES - Spring Equinox 2024

"We tip the scales by our choices, 

and by so doing, we change all eternity."

Today was the first sunrise of Spring. Quickly posting a few photos taken within the past 24 hours. Some of these were taken last night of the last sunset of Winter  as well as photos taken this morning on an early sunrise hike to welcome in first full day of Spring. These blog posts are for me personally to help me remember the significant events and symbolism that happened. Words really can't describe them adequately. 

A few important proverbs to consider: 

• The balance between Adam’s Fall and Christ’s sacrifice provides a neutral balance of opposites. We choose what we are willing to do with this balanced universe.
• We tip the scales by our choices, and by so doing, we change all eternity. We change eternity by the choices we make here.
• There is an eternal balance, with infinite results, hanging on our every choice. We stand in peril or stand in glory depending upon our every thought and deed.
• Five minutes of mortality are more precious than all the prior eternities of pre-earth life. Only here can you demonstrate the faith from which creation itself was born.
• Our failures are mourned in the corridors of Heaven with groans for our shortcomings. We have angels and gods wishing our choices were always tipping the scale of balance in this life in favor of obedience to God.
• Our noble acts and righteous deeds are celebrated in joy and song in the corridors of Heaven. As we choose.

The last winter sunset before the 2024 Spring equinox

Photo taken on March 19th, 2024 of the sunset in SLC, UT just before the Spring Equinox at 9:06 PM

First Spring sunrise of 2024

Sidenote: The founding principle that with 'great power comes great responsibility' is found in the scriptures. In Luke 12:48 it reads: "To those who much is given much is required".

It is necessary to be meek first before being trusted with great power. Without meekness a man cannot be trusted with such a power. We need to ask rather than demand. We need to petition rather than decree.   The things of God matter.  Ordinances that connect us with Him matter a great deal. When done correctly, they have power.

Three Additional Symbolic Photos:

The Moon, The Hawk and the Water/Mud

TRUE OR FALSE?

True or False?

Are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the only ones who can claim the title of being a Christian?

Answer: TRUE  

(according to Elder David A Bednar)

LINK TO VIDEO

Transcript excerpt from the talk given by Elder David A. Bednar in January 2024 at a Regional Leadership Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah,

“This is what we are hoping,children and young people that hopefully will understand better.When we exercise our agency to understand the conditions of covenants, and we accept the conditions of the covenants, our agency is enlarged. When we are baptized, we covenant a willingness to take upon ourselves the name of Christ, always remember Him, and keep his commandments. What is our new family name after that? Christian. It cracks me up when people say we are not Christians. We are the only ones who by proper authority can lay claim to the title.”

Oh the irony, we dont like it when other Christians don't think we as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are Christains ... but accordingly to Elder Bednar, we don't think anyone else besides members of our Church have the authority to call themselves Christians. (or more spefically, have proper authority to claim the title of Christian"

 "It cracks me up when people say we are not Christians. We are the only ones who by proper authority can lay claim to the title."

In its most basic definition, a Christian is someone who is a follower of Jesus Christ. And we follow Christ by embodying both the beliefs of the Christian faith by believing in Jesus's life, death, and resurrection, and also by putting that faith into action as true disciples of Christ.  I think all Christains around the world would be offended that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claim that are the ONLY ONE who by proper authority feel that can claim the title of Christain.

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Addendum:

Speaking about claiming by proper authority. The Church has "reclaimed"  the Kirtland Temple as well as other sides previously owned by the Community of Christ. at the sum of 192,500,000.00 

LDS Church buys Kirtland Temple, historic Nauvoo buildings

from the local newspaper  LINK

"The overall purchase price, according to a fact sheet released Tuesday, was $192.5 million. It did not specify values for each property and item, but the expense would represent only a blip on the financial ledgers of the 17 million-member LDS Church, whose total wealth has been estimated at $265 billion."