279: ONCE A LIVING BODY OF WATER IS NOW AN EMPTY VESSEL.

 

At the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon there used to be 4 beautiful natural lakes of living water. They are named the "sister lakes": Lake Mary, Lake Phoebe, Lake Martha, and Lake Katherine. Many years ago a dam was built at Lake Mary.  Lake Mary grew in size and became a reservior instead of a natural body of living water. The level of the Lake Mary rose so high that it eventually combined with Lake Phoebe into one large lake. This large body of water was the home to rainbow trout fish and other wildlife. The water was also used for drinking water. My family loves hiking the 2 mile round trip to have lunch and feed the chipmunks on the shores of this Lake.

 

Here is a recent photo I took of the Lake Mary:

 

 Additional few photos of Lake Mary courtesy of other photographers:

 

Last weekend I have been struggling with some serious questions and needed direction in my life. I needed some answers to some difficult questions. My heart and mind were at odds with each other. I felt prompted to spend the day praying and pouring out my heart to the Lord on Friday, September 12, 2014. I need to spend some time alone and planned on hiking to a Mountain Peak that I usually hike to. Once I got into the car, I felt that I needed to hike to Lake Mary instead. I would spend the time listening and reading and praying along the shores of this beautiful lake.. (actually a man-made reservior now).

 

Once I reached the lake. I was shocked at what I saw.  The lake was gone. No water. Completely empty. The natural lake, converted into a man-made reservior, used to contain living water full of fish and wildlife was  now all dried up. Here are a few photos I took:

 

I was stunned. However, this was a profound symbolic answer from the Lord to one of my questions. I talked to another hiker who was equally shocked to see all of the water gone. He had just hiked to this lake a week ago and he said that the lake was completely full. In a short amount of time... all of the water.. I mean.. ALL of the water with the exception of a tiny remnant of water was GONE.

 

 The scripture in D&C 121:37 came to my mind.  Whenever we exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon anything the Lord has created including the souls of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man. (and the living water that used to exist is gone) 

 

Any attempt to control or use compulsion on living water will eventually become an empty vessel.

278: LET'S DO THIS THING.

A week ago today, my wife and I, along with dear friends started our descent down into the Grand Canyon. The trip had been planned for months.  Preparations were made and the necessary permits obtained to hike and camp in the backcountry. One thing that we didn't know how to prepare for was the weather. A week before our hike, I began watching the weather reports. It was forecasted that severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall were likely due to Hurricane Norbert on the only two days that we were planning on hiking.  

 

I prayed to have at least 10 minutes at the beginning of the hike to at least see the view of the Grand Canyon before the storms came. We arrived at the South Rim and black clouds and storms were all around us. However... while the storms surrounded us, they never fell upon us... but caused massive flooding in surrounding areas.  Here is one video showing the torrential rain that caused road closures.  FLOODING . Also in the Phoenix Area they broke records for the amount of rain they received in one day.

 

Despite the forecast and potential thunderstorms and flooding, we were determined to still hike. My little two year old using the phrase, "Let's do this thing" before we go somewhere. It was the same phrase we all said right after our prayer before we descended down on our hike. In my mind, another phrase came into my mind, Let us go down. We did go down, a full vertical mile. Words can't describe the gratitude to the Lord for protecting us from the storms and to be able to see His hand in all things as we descended down into the depths of the Grand Canyon and then our ascension back to the top.

 

 In the previous blog post, I posted a photo of Zoroaster Temple.  It is often said that the Grand Canyon is America’s Cathedral/Temple. In that case, Zoroaster Temple–the most symmetric and beautiful of the dozens of towers rising improbably from the center of the Grand Canyon–is the Holy of Holies. 

This past week a friend of mine taught me what a temple is. A Temple is a place to learn how to  make our ascent back to God. Anciently, a Temple was called, "the Mountain of Ascent." A temple means "dedicated land", a place found through revelation. It is a sacred spot. It is a nexis point between Heaven and Earth. It is a place where we receive revelation. It is place were we are in tune and in touch with heaven. It is a place to commune with Heaven and receive answers from Heaven. It is a place to understand the Heavens. It is a place to get your direction and come into alignment with the Heavenas.  It is a place to come into the presence of God. It is a place to reenact a ritual drama through symbols. It is a place to make covenants. It is a place to be washed, anointed, to receive blessings and power to survive in this world.

I have struggled to put into words in relaying our experiences from our hike. It is hard to convey in words. Instead, I hope some of these photos can speak a thousand words. The photos appear in chronological order.

 

 

  

     

 

 

277: SIPAPUNI: "THE PLACE OF EMERGENCE"

The Hopi Indian believe that the Grand Canyon was the Sipapuni, or "place of emergence" from whence their ancestors had emerged after a Great Flood had destroyed the third "world" of mankind that had preceded the current, or "fourth" world.

The "Sipapuni" is the name for the feminine opening from the depth of the Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The sacred place allowed mankind to come "out" of darkness in the deep recesses of the earth into the world of sunlight and life.

 

Photo taken this past Sunday on our descent hike on the 7th day of September, 2014

The past three days have been quite a journey for me. My mind is still spinning. I thought I would share a few thoughts from our symbolic hike down into the Grand Canyon this week, similiar to a previous post entitled, 190:  "Ascending before the Storm".  ( LINK  )

 

The following words have had deep significance and symbolic for me these past few days... number seven, 7, flood, water, sacrifice, re-birth, light, darkness, descend and ascent... and the Tree of Life.

 

Bear with me.. As I try and get my thoughts together.

 

276: IS OUR CHURCH MILES WIDE.. BUT ONLY INCHES DEEP?

A couple of weeks ago I attended BYU Education week. One of the speakers was Thomas Wayment, a Professor of Ancient Scripture at BYU and the publications director at the Religious Studies Center. He is currently serving as a Bishopric counselor. He shared in his first class that the Church is estimating right now that 60% of all returned missionaries will leave the church. They say that of the 60% that leave the Church, roughly 20% of those will come back. We are retaining of all those who serve missions only around half. He said that these statistics were given at a recent Leadership Training Meeting about six months ago, but are not published..But he didn’t think that means that this information was secret or not to be shared. Another statistic that he gave was that only 12 to 15% of young men actually serve missions. Those are not good numbers. So basically, with the current hastening of the work with over 80,000 missionaries serving, if these numbers are accurate, a little less than half end up leaving the Church or becoming inactive during their life.

In an article on msn.com ( LINK ) the following was reported, "While an estimated 40 percent of returned missionaries become inactive sometime after completing their mission, only 2 percent become apostates, meaning that they request to have their names removed from church rolls, or are formally excommunicated."

A recent study in 2013 at Utah Valley University ( LINK ) found that nearly three quarters of missionaries who return home early experience a deep sense of failure.

What is happening?  

A friend of mine sent me a article written by Hal Lindsey, an American evangelist and Christian writer, which said the following, "The modern church is miles wide and inches deep. We try to convince the world that they should accept us because we are like them, not because we have the answer or because we stand for something greater." He went on to describe today's lukewarm Church. It isn't cold enough to be easily identified as a false Church that has lost its fundamental purpose.... and it is not hot enough to preach the Gospel and make disciples no matter the cost in persecution and sufferings for Christ's sake. We have forgotten that it is either all about Him or not at all about Him."

Is statement only apply to the other Christian denominations or can it be said about our Church as well?

SIDENOTE:

Last week I went to one of the first public screenings of “Meet the Mormons”, the new full length motion picture that will be released in select theaters nationwide. The Church is beginning to promote this movie including billboards along the Interstate 15. In next month’s General Conference, the movie will be mentioned in one of the Brethren’s talk, rumored to be Elder Holland. It has been under production for four years. It opens on October 10, 2014. I have written a little bit about it ( HERE )

 

I really don’t like hearing about movies until after I see them..so I won’t really share much about my feelings… since I like to go without having any prior expectations (either low or high). That being said.. one might think this is the best movie and is part of the Lord’s hastening the work.. or another might think the stories, the people, and the locations were carefully selected in this movie as a type of promotional infomercial. No doubt, we want to be a Global church and like what Hal Lindsey said.. we want to convince the world that they should accept us because not only are we wonderful people, but we are like them. (Sidenote: For example, the only two Bishops that are shown in the movie are both Afro-American, as well as one of the featured members receives an award from President Obama and actually shows him receiving a hug from the President.)

No doubt we as a Church want to proclaim the Gospel to all people around the earth. I can think of no better Church that spends its resources to accomplish this... But to what end? What is considered success?

Is success for the Church only bringing thousands of people to the bottom of the Mount Sinai... only to eventually be told to just follow and/or worship another idol? Or is success for the Lord actually through teaching, guiding, encouraging those to accept the invitation from the Lord and ascend to the top of Mount Zion and speak with Him face to face. 

275: THE GULF THAT SEPARATES US FROM GOD... FROM ZION.



Photo taken in September 2012 on Jacob's Ladder trail climbing to Lone Peak.

My wife and I will be hiking the Grand Canyon this weekend with a couple of friends before hearing a friend give his final lecture in Phoenix.  There is something about ascending a mountain that is symbolic. I especially like to start very early in the morning while it is still dark in order to be on the summit to watch the sunrise.  I am excited to hike this weekend, since we have never hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon before.

The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders. It is the largest land gorge/gulf in the world.  We will be descending down over 5000 feet (a vertical mile ) and camping at bottom of the canyon. We will then wake up early in the morning to ascend back to the top.  Near our campsite there have been kivas found dating back to as early as 1050 which were used by Native Americas.  A kiva is a room used for religious rituals. Among the modern Hopi, and most other Pueblo peoples, kivas are square-walled and underground, and are used in their spiritual ceremonies.

This hike will be different than all other hikes we have been on. On this hike, you descend first, and then hike up and ascend last. Also, at the beginning of the hike the temperature is cooler and as you hike down it gets hotter. Instead of your destination point at the top of the mountain, it is at the bottom. Your view is looking up at the wonder, instead of looking down.

Here is a beautiful video of part of the hike.

 

Unless you have been to the Grand Canyon, you can not appreciate or understand the great gulf that exists between the two sides of the canyon. However, this is small compared to the great gulf that exists between us on Earth and our Father in Heaven, between the foolishness of man and the holiness of God. 

Today more than ever there are great gulfs that are being created. There is a great gulf that exist between those who claim to speak FOR God and those who actually speak WITH God.  There is a considerable gulf between knowing the gospel of Christ and actually living it. There is a  tremendous gulf between what is required to build and live in Zion and the direction we are actually headed as a people. There are gulfs that exist inside families and between husband and wives.

The gulf that separates us from God can only be bridged by His Son, Jesus Christ. The gulf that separates us from Zion requires us to KNOW HIM.. and not just know ABOUT HIM. Until all shall know the Lord, who remain, even from the least unto the greatest, and shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, and shall see eye to eye, and shall lift up their voice, and with the voice together sing this new song, saying: The Lord hath brought again Zion. D&C 84:98

 

274: DESIRES, APPETITES, AND PASSIONS.

WHAT ARE THE BOUNDS THAT THE LORD HAS SET?
 

 About 400 miles directly west of Salt Lake City is the Black Rock Desert. Every year 10's of thousands of people gather at an event called the Burning Man. It is being held this weekend over Labor Day. It gathers like minded people who do not believe than anyone has the right to a dictate how people should be and/or act. There are no bounds. A month from now, 10's of thousands of people will gather in the LDS Conference Center at an event called General Conference. It gathers members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints whose views are in extreme opposite to those who probably attend Burning Man. The members follow a very strict adherence to how they should be and act.  I created a chart to show the differences.

 

 

 

 



I post this only to ask a few questions.What are the bounds that the Lord has set? On one side of the spectrum, there are no bounds.... On the other side of the spectrum, is there too much control and too many bounds? Is there even a happy medium? What is the undeviating course we should follow and adhere to that leads to eternal life? Does the Lord expect us to follow codes of conduct in what we wear, drink, eat, say, or do?  If so, what exactly are those, and is it different for each individual or the same for all of us?

 

Anyway something to thing about this Labor Day weekend..

  

 

 

273: DAVID, THE SON OF JOSEPH SMITH JR.

There are always two sides to every story.  However, usually only one side gets told and recorded as history. History is always written by the winners and not the losers. "When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books-books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe." Dan Brown.

 

After the death of Joseph Smith Jr. and his brother Hyrum, the well known stories and early history of the Restored Gospel were written primarily through the voice, lens and perspective of Brigham Young and the Saints that traveled west into Salt Lake. Little is known about what happened to the Saints who stayed behind in Nauvoo. We don't often talk about or the hear stories of Emma and her children and the rest of Joseph Smith's family after the prophet died. 

 

On my recent trip back to Nauvoo, I learned that Emma was over 4 months pregnant with a son when her husband, the Prophet Joseph Smith was killed at Carthage Jail. Emma gave birth to a son on November 14, 1844, about five months after the death of the Prophet. She named him David. Below is a picture of Emma and her baby son. Tragic to think that Emma not only was mourning the death of her husband, but as a widow, she would be giving birth to a son who would be fatherless.

 

 

 

 

 

David was the youngest of the nine children born to Emma and Joseph.  However, there were only four surviving siblings at the time of his birth:  Julia (adopted), Joseph III, Frederick, and Alexander.

Joseph and Emma's first child was Alvin who died at child birth having undescribed birth defects. Emma then conceived twins, Thaddeus and Louisa, but both died a few hours after birth. On that same day, John and Julia Murdock, friends of Joseph and Emma, also gave birth to twins. John Murdock, who upon his wife's death in childbirth, gave the infants to the Smiths for adoption. The twins were named Julia (named after her birth mother) and Joseph. Joseph, the adopted infant, died a year later from exposure (many accounts say pneumonia) following a mob attack on the Smith home on the night of March 24, 1832. Joseph and Emma then had six sons. Joseph Smith III, Frederick, Alexander, Don Carlos (died at age 14 months), a stillborn male child, and then David.

David was three years old when his mother married Louis C. Bidamon.  Below are a few photographs of David. The photo on the left is David at age 16, and the photo on the right is when he was in his twenties.

 

In his youth, David became an accomplished poet and musician. He was around sixteen years old when his brother Joseph III took leadership of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1860. Like his father he never knew, David became devoted to God and the cause of the Restoration.  He touched the hearts of the Saints with his wonderful hymns of faith. Never having known his father, he penned a sad ballad entitled, “The Unknown Grave” which tells of the death of his father, his uncle Hyrum, and their sacrifice for the cause of the gospel.

In addition to his writing, David also was a artist. Below is his painting of Lehi's Dream. Probably one of the first illustrations of the Tree of Life illustrating the vision that Lehi and his son Nephi describe in the beginning chapters of the Book of Mormon.

  

David fell in love and married Clara Charlotte Hartshorn. They had one son, Elbert.  There is a sacred spot, located about a mile south of Nauvoo, that is known as David's Chamber.  David would often come here to meditate, pray, write poetry, and paint pictures. David’s son, Elbert A. Smith, described this beautiful and tranquil location:

"A little way down the river from the Mansion House, and back in the hills, there was a waterfall and above the fall among the rocks and trees there was an amphitheater which I have been told by numerous people was a favorite resort to which father went as a lad to read and write and paint."  (Elbert A. Smith, On Memory’s Beam, p. 37)

photos of David's Chamber taken from our recent trip to Nauvoo in June 2014

  

 Throughout his life, David had health problems. He was diabetic and also suffered from depression. After hearing the stories and beginning to believe that his father Joseph Smith had indeed practiced polygamy started to have problems of doubt and instability. Later in life, David was hospitalized until he eventually passed away at age 60.

 

.....

 

I share this information because most of us, if not all, in this life encounter times of doubt, insecurity and sadness.  What did Joseph Smith do in the times of his life when he has doubt and sadness? 

 

He cried unto the Lord.  

 

 

272: CRY OUT TO JESUS

A few years ago I spent a couple days in Montana and South Dakota. We had a special permit to enter onto the Blackfoot and Lakota Indian Reservations. We hiked and spent sometime in the mountains. I was invited by a good friend of mine who was going up with his younger brother. We had some amazing experiences that I will never forget.  I received a phone call from my friend informing me that his younger brother who had become my friend had just passed away this week. His funeral is tomorrow. In his honor, I am posting a few photos from our trip on pristine Native American soil.  

 

 

Mosiah 18:9

 "Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life."



I heard this song today. I think the words are powerful.

 

 

To everyone who's lost someone they love...long before it was their time

You feel like the days you had were not enough when you said goodbye

And to all of the people with burdens and pains.. keeping you back from your life
You believe that there's nothing and there is no one, who can make it right

 For the marriage that's struggling just to hang on...they lost all of their faith in love
They've done all they can to make it right again, still it's not enough

For the ones who can't break the addictions and chains,
You try to give up but you come back again
Just remember that you're not alone in your shame and your suffering.

When your lonely, and it feels like the whole world is falling on you
You just reach out, you just cry out to Jesus. Cry to Jesus.

To the widow who suffers from being alone...wiping the tears from her eyes
For the children around the world without a home, say a prayer tonight

 

There is hope for the helpless

Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus

 

We will miss you James. May the Clarks be comforted at this time.

271: COMING BACK FROM A SABBATICAL

The word Sabbatical comes from the Hebrew word ‘shabbat’ (the Anglicized term "Sabbath" which means “day of rest). The root word literally means a "ceasing". It is a rest from work, or a break, often lasting a long duration. (sometimes from two months to a year.) The concept of sabbatical is described a few places in the Bible (Leviticus 25) where there is a commandment to desist from working the fields in the seventh year.  

One gains a better perspective on life after taking a sabbatical… but not just from work…. But from anything that depletes our energy.. including social media, blogs, forums, online discussions, chatting, texting, and google groups. If we spent more time talking to our families, our children, our spouses instead of texting, tweeting, posting, blogging, emailing to others in cyperspace.. we might have stronger families ties and better real-life relationships.

 Driving home from our ‘sabbatical’ on the West Coast, we saw this semi-truck.

The Church’s Public Relations/ Marketing/Advertising once again have magnified their callings/jobs by beginning to promote one of the LDS church’s websites on large moving vehicles. Some of the biggest issues that the Church deals with is Race, Priesthood and Plural Marriage. What better way to show that we have “changed” then to show an African American male with a link to our website that highlights traditional families.

Polygamy has always been something I have never really understood. Personally, it is something I have put on the shelf. To better come to grips with the doctrine that was preached especially from Brigham Young.. this might help some as an explanation.  After Joseph Smith died, many of the leaders of the church were practicing polygamy. In my opinion, it very likely that Brigham Young made a mistake by teaching polygamy as a doctrine.. when Joseph never did. In order for a large number of the leaders who had plural wives, Brigham Young needed to find a way to make polygamy legal. For the practice to be legal and protected under the first amendment, the Church and it's leaders need to advocate that it is a fundamental part of the religion. If you can establish that it is essential to your religion, then it doesn’t matter if the laws of the land prohibit it. It would be unconstitutional to prohibit it, because the first amendment protects religion and the freedom to practice it.

 Brigham Young’s teaching of plural marriage were couched in terms that were designed to win a law suit. Brigham Young is quoted by saying that plural marriage (ie “celestial marriage’) is a fundamental part of our religion, it is essential if you are going to get into heaven, it must be done… or you can’t get there. 

So for forty years, 30 years under Brigham Young, and for another 10 years under John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff… it was a fundamental part of our religion and it was taught that we couldn’t get into heaven if you didn’t have plural wives.

Then came the last law suit, and the Church lost it. It is now over with. It is now illegal to practice polygamy.

 So Wilford Woodruff, the President of the Church (what we call today as the current Living Prophet) has the dilemma of how do we take with what we have been saying for 40 years that this is a fundamental part of our religion and say.. you know what.. not only is it NOT a fundamental part of our religion , it never was, and it would be best to discontinue it.

 Instead they go to all the trouble and say, the Lord has given us a “revelation” to take it away.

 So the question is… if it was a revelation to take it away, why did many of the leaders continue to practice it?

270: SUMMER SOLSTICES

photo taken on the Summer Solstice in 2013 on Mt. Timpanogos after sunrise 

Last year on the Summer Solstice I climbed to the top of  Mt. Timpanogos to see the sunrise. It required that I hike during the darkness of the night in order to reach the summit before sunrise. To my surprise, much of the trail was still covered in snow. I had to be extremely careful since I was not equipped with the right gear. However, the whiteness of the snow was helpful in finding my way in the dark.   It was ironic that on the longest day of the year with the most sunlight, that most of my hike was done in darkness. Also ironic was that at one of the hottest times of the year, I was hiking in snow.  Oh the irony. It reminded me of the scripture in section 95 of the Doctrine and Covenants.  "..they are walking in darkness at noon-day." I have always wondered how that is possible.. to walk in darkness at noon-day... but recently learned that it is a great metaphor for being spiritually blind.

A few days before this year's Summer Solstice in 2014, a big cold front came through Salt Lake and dumped a lot of snow in the higher elevations. The below photo is taken from my home. The next day, I left for Nauvoo and flew over the Rocky Mountains. Here is was the beginning of summer and yet it looked like it was still winter.

 

photo of Mt. Olympus a few days before the 2014 Summer Solstice

flying over the Rocky Mountains on June 19, 2014

  ...

I mention all of that this as a precursor to entering into the Nauvoo Temple on the Summer Solstice on 2014.

Historical accounts of the original Nauvoo Illinois Temple mention a skylight in the attic area where the endowment and sealings were performed. The temple was not complete however.  In the rebuilt Nauvoo temple, a similar skylight has been added. This skylight allows light from above into the Celestial Room instead of the grand man made chandeliers that we use in our modern temples.

This skylight has a large sun surrounded by 24 moons in various phases (forming an eternal ring of the moon going through its phases). These are then surrounded by eight six-pointed stars. The rugs in the room have a similar pattern on them but with some added symbols such as five pointed stars. I prefer a skylight with natural light from the sun than a chandelier that needs electricity.

The skylight on the east end of the Celestial Room in the Nauvoo Temple.

269: CELEBRATING FREEDOM ON INDEPENDENCE DAY

Today is the Fourth of July. My wife mentioned to me this morning that she prefers to say Happy Independence Day instead of Happy Fourth of July. She said, "why do we emphasis the date instead of saying what we are celebrating." I couldn’t help think that she was right, we don’t say Merry 25th of December or Happy 4th Thursday in November.

This morning I went for a hike up in the mountains to see the sunrise. My daughter wanted to come with me even though  I was going at 4:00 AM in the morning. There is important symbolism with numbers, dates and time.  We had a great time together.We made it to the top of the mountain just in time to see the sunrise. It was beautiful. Here are a few photos:

 

The next several posts will highlight a couple of things that I learned in Nauvoo. I found it interesting that 170 years ago today on July 4, 1844, there was no Fourth-of-July celebration in Nauvoo. The Saints were still mourning the death of Joseph and Hyrum. William Clayton wrote, "Instead of celebrating with splendor with joy we celebrate her [the nation's] down-fall with grief and mourn for the loss of our prophet & Patriarch & pray to God to avenge their blood speedily." through the "true order of prayer" during the regular Thursday meeting of the Anointed Quorum.

In our early church history, due to events of how the early Saints were treated and even killed, some members had some difficulty in forgiving the wrongdoings of others. They were not necessarily the ideal patriotic citizens. However, today, the Church is uber-American. We are one of the truest of true American institutions. In fact, we almost elected a Mormon President in 2012.

Some insights on how we have progressed as a Church. The establishment of an institution, any institution, requires that the institution's needs  usually take some priority sometimes at the expense of the individual. With tax laws, corporate laws, charitable institutional requirements, zoning laws, property laws, city planning, building inspection, utility costs, maintenance, contract, employment and endless other requirements imposed by modern Babylon, the institution becomes necessarily an extension of the greater world. Whether or not the institution likes it, once it is launched, the world disciplines it, grooms it, influences it and changes it.

With each of these events the greater historical pressures on the institution have affected how we have developed. And we continue to develop. Carefully, mind you, but we develop nonetheless.

Gradualism is the way in which even glaciers move. Eventually, however, even glaciers reach warmer climates and begin to dissolve.

It is important for us to study, learn and remember what caused the Restoration to take place. To understand what caused Christ to come down from heaven to speak with a young man and call him as a prophet.  The fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not dependent upon the greater success of an institution or the country, but is instead dependent upon the efforts of each individual.

268: 170 YEARS AGO TODAY

One hundred and seventy years ago today, the Prophet Joseph Smith at the age of thirty-eight, and his brother Hyrum Smith (age forty-four) were both shot while confined at Carthage Jail just 20 miles away from the unfinished Nauvoo Temple. I just returned from visiting all of these sacred sites starting in Independence Missouri and ending on the banks of the Mississippi. In the next few posts, I hope to share some of my thoughts and photos as well as share my love and appreciation to these two brothers, men of God, and best friends.



 

Photo taken on the Summer Solstice on June 21, 2014

Here are just a couple of thoughts on the Nauvoo Temple:

On January 19, 1841, Joseph Smith recorded a revelation from the Lord commanding the Saints to “build a house to my name.” (D&C 124:27.) The Lord stated "the fulness of the priesthood" had been "lost unto you, or which [The Lord] hath taken away." (D&C 124:28) To "restore" it the Lord needed to personally come to a Temple that He was required to be built within a limited time frame.

William Weeks was appointed architect and superintendent of the temple construction. He was guided by the Prophet Joseph Smith,who said: “I have seen in vision the splendid appearance of that building illuminated, and will have it built according to the pattern shown me.” (History of the Church 6:196-97).

photo taken on June 2, 2014

On April 6, 1841 the foundation stones were set and a cornerstone ceremony was held. 

By November 1841, the basement rooms were enclosed. A temporary wooden font resting on twelve wooden oxen was used for baptisms. Baptisms for the dead were conducted in this temporary structure starting on November 21, 1841. By October 30, 1842, the temple walls were four feet high and a temporary floor was put on the main story. About 3,000 people gathered for the first official meeting held in the temple. 

In the time between January 1841 and the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in June 1844, the Nauvoo Temple was not completed. The walls were only complete to the second floor.. During July, 1844, the Saints again committed themselves to completing the sacred building. However, an obvious structural change was made. It is called the "Martyr Line". Different sized bricks were used after the death of Joseph Smith. Instead of the standard sized, smaller brick that were used when the Prophet was alive, larger bricks were used to complete the walls faster. (It has been my experience as a kid when building blocks that it is not wise to stack larger bricks on top of smaller ones)

As we know the Nauvoo Temple build by the early Saints was destroyed. We built and dedicated a replica of Nauvoo Temple in 2002. To keep the building authentic to the original they replicated the "Martyr Line".

 

267: INTERCESSORY PRAYER

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Intercession is the act of interceding (intervening or mediating) between two parties. In Christian religious usage, the term intercession is usually associated to a prayer to God on behalf of others. Some religions claim that praying for somebody who is sick can have positive effects on the health of the person being prayed for. Adherents of those religions 'believe' that prayer, like forgiveness, has a positive effect on the health and well-being of the person doing the prayer or forgiveness. It is an entreaty in favor of another, especially a prayer or petition to God in behalf of another. Probably the most well known intercessory prayers is recorded in John 17 when the Lord is in the Garden of Gethsemane.

In some of my recent studies I came across some commentary on the book of Mormon that records intercessory prayers given by some of the Book of Mormon prophets. Here are some quotes:

Lehi’s inquiry to the Lord was based upon the warnings underway at that time in Jerusalem. Lehi heard “many prophets, prophesying” a warning to Jerusalem it was about to be destroyed. These prophets would, no doubt, have included Jeremiah, who was a contemporary of Lehi’s. Lehi heard and believed these warnings, and was praying on behalf of Jerusalem as an intercessor. .

In the stone altar, we see another symbol of ancient religious practice. From Adam to Abraham to Lehi, building stone altars to petition the Lord was a common religious act. Lehi’s prayer for Jerusalem was such a petition. As Lehi offered his intercessory prayer for wayward and condemned Jerusalem, he stood before the very symbol of the Redeemer’s sacrifice. That stone altar testified of the coming sacrifice which would eventually redeem Jerusalem from her sins.

This description would suggest Lehi was outside the city walls, in a private place, petitioning the Lord. The subject of Lehi’s prayer would drive the need for privacy. Asking for the Lord to forgive and save Jerusalem, to pour out his heart on behalf of these condemned people, would not be something for public display. This private setting would also have been suitable for the Divine manifestation which came to him. One has to wonder if this event occurred, as is so often the case, at a spot which would then acquire later significance. Was it in Gethsemane? Or at Golgotha? Or in a stony spot which would later prove suitable for carving a tomb in which to lay the temporarily deceased Messiah? Or the place on Mt. Olivet where the Risen Lord would ascend to heaven? We cannot know the exact spot except by revelation. We should not be surprised to learn Lehi’s stone where a pillar of fire rested would later become the very spot where another sacrifice and another pillar of fire also rested. As the final events unfold, there will yet be another pillar to rest there.

We see this example of giving intercessory prayer by Nephi as well. Although his brothers rejected his testimony and were disbelieving, he continued to pray to God for mercy toward them. Nephi moves from his concern for "the welfare of his own soul" to the welfare of others. His concerns are selfless, sacrificial and intercessory. He has become a man of charity and full of love for others. These whom he calls his "beloved brethren" and his "people" are, in fact, those who will destroy and supplant his own descendants. Charity is the end result of this consecrated life.

My family recently saw the play Les Miserables. It contains a beautiful intercessory prayer that is sung by Valjean. Here are a few of the words:

God on high, Hear my prayer. In my need, You have always been there
Bring him home, Bring him home, Bring him home.
You can take, You can give. Let him be, Let him live
If I die, let me die, Let him live
Bring him home, Bring him home, Bring him home. 

 And another beautifully sung song of an prayer given to bless another:

Some wise counsel given to us from a friend of mine:

"We must make intercession on behalf of others, even our enemies, if we are to have a hope in Christ. We must lay down the burden of sin to enter into His presence. Much of that "sin" in each of our lives has been the offenses against us, and the resentment and anger we hold from these abuses. There are people who have done you wrong. There are some who did so intentionally. When you forgive them, and plead on their behalf for the Lord to also forgive them in sincerity and love, you are not far from the Kingdom of Heaven. Your Lord did this. You must do as He did to be like Him. It is the only way to understand your Lord. In this, you must suffer as He did, choosing to forgive offenses rather than to seek justice. When you show mercy, you merit mercy. The beginning of repentance is found in forgiving others. "

Intercession for your fellow man, including those who give offense to you, is one of the hallmarks of the saved soul. This is who Abraham was, and why he became a friend of God. . No one wants to comply with the rule. The higher way is, however, found in following the rule. It should be an absolute sacrifice, and a painful one at that, for the exception to be applied in your life. If an inspired condemnation is required at your hand and by your voice, then immediately afterwards you should make intercession with the Lord for those condemned. That is the way of those who know the Lord. Those who have been forgiven much—including those who have been forgiven everything—always love much in return."

266: STAND FAST WITHOUT FEAR IN FACING THE ONCOMING WAVE

In a dream I saw myself in the middle of the ocean at night. The water and waves were black as tar. I wasn't on a ship, necessarily,.. but I WAS the ship trying to navigate through the waves and the black ocean water. I felt a sense of uneasiness and through the light from the moon I could see a HUGE massive wave approaching.





I knew that I didn't have alot of time, and I knew that the wave had the power to destroy and or capsize any ship in it's path. The only way I knew that I would be able to survive the oncoming wave was to face the wave straight on... without deviation and without fear despite the fact that the wave was visibly more powerful and bigger than I was. I knew that if I was off just one degree to the left or to the right, I would not be able to withstand the power and force of wave... but instead be tossed over and capsize.

When the wave was directly on top of me, I desperately navigated to be perfectly perpendicular to the wave to face it head on. In doing so, the bow of my ship pierced the wave, cutting and splitting the wave in half allowing my ship to stand fast and not being overtaken. 

For a brief minute as the wave passed over.. I was completely helpless and at the mercy of the Lord after all I could do. I had to surrender and allow whatever was to happen, to happen. As this huge wave passed over, I was relieved to find myself still afloat....however, I was surprised to see more giant waves in the distance that I still needed to navigate through.


The following advice was recently given at lecture about courage:

"Live this life nobly, fearlessly. When you take the wounds that come your way make sure that they come to your front! Don't let them shoot you in the back. Go about your life boldly, nobly, valiantly. Because it is only through valiance in the testimony of Jesus Christ that you can hope to secure anything. Not valiance in your fidelity to anything other than Jesus Christ. The fact of the matter is that faith must be based in Him, and in Him alone.

We are on this earth to learn about the power of godliness. This place, this terrible fallen world, this glorious opportunity in which sacrifice is actually possible. You don't avoid it, and you don't necessarily seek it out. But when it comes upon you, you face it down bravely. You stand where God places you.  And it's time now we stop running away from the conflict. It's time for us to be valiant once again. Do not be fearful. Cowardice and fear are the opposite of faith."


May we all be brave in the coming days, and standup for truth despite the consequences.
May we all be faithful and valiant once again.



Personal Sidenote:  About five years ago I became friends with a Salt Lake Police officer. We shared a common love for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We exchanged books, and talked with each other about what we were learning. We would met for lunch and had him over to our home. One time, I saw him downtown Salt Lake helping a couple with a small child. He gave them a few bags of clothes that he had brought from home. He wanted to change the perception of the stereotypical police officer. He truly loves people and wants to serve the less fortunate. He stands firm in what he knows is right. A few days ago he was asked to turn in his badge and his gun for asking to be reassigned to a different police assignment instead of participating in a motorcade in the annual Salt Lake City Pride parade. He is currently under heavy fire by the media nationwide. I am grateful for friends who stand up no matter the cost.

We live a in world where right is wrong and wrong is right. Each of us...sooner or later will have to brave and face the consequences by those who have temporary power over this world.

265: RESTORATIONS, REFORMATIONS. AND REMODELINGS.

 

Below is a painting entitled "View of Scheveningen Sands." by the 17th century Dutch master Hendrick van Anthonissen. For the past several months, this masterpiece has been under restoration at a museum at Cambridge University. For centuries, art historians have wondered why there are clusters of people gathered on the beach and on the nearby cliffs in obviously unpleasant winter weather looking at nothing.



It wasn't until the painting under went a restoration that there was something missing from the painting. The true subject of painting slowly emerged after the varnish and heavily daubed overpaint was painstakingly scraped away. The process took months. Not only were the original brilliant colors restored, but the central figure of the painting was uncovered. Of all things.. the discovery was a beached whale. It had been painted over years later by others who thought that the whale was a distraction and an eyesore. Yet to the original painter, it was the main focal point.

Here is the "restored" painting with the whale uncovered. To read more about this recent discovery , here is the link to the news article: ( LINK )

I use this story about this painting to illustrate the difference between three R words
Restoration, Reformation and Remodeling.

• A Restoration is returning something to the former, original, normal, or unimpaired condition.

• A Reformation is the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory. It is to change to a better state or improve by alteration, substitution, abolition, etc.

• A Remodeling is to change or alter the structure, style, or form of something.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ we believe in a restoration of the Church. Yet over time it seems like we have reformed the ancient religion that Joseph tried to restore. Recently it seems that their is a remodeling taking place.


In my opinion there seems to be huge gulf today between what Joseph Smith revealed and the religion that we practice today. Like this painting that covered over the whale, we have discarded, changed, modified, added to, abandoned, ignored, and forgotten much of the original religion of the Restoration. But as we all know, history repeats itself.   I recently read a commentary on specific verses from the Book of Mormon (18 of them to be exact) that included the following observation.

"As the New Testament unfolds, we find just how entirely possible it was to be devoted to the religion, and yet so unenlightened to the truth that people would reject God. This gulf between religious people and their God highlighted Christ’s ministry. Christ’s teachings attempted to bring people back to God by focusing on what was truly important.

 Christ came to end the Mosaic Dispensation and begin new forms of worship. The religious leaders of His day were so steeped in their form of religious observances they viewed Christ as a threat to the order of things. These were not irreligious people. Quite the opposite was true. They were devoted to the faith they practiced. It was their security, their tradition, their identity. Through it, their place in the world was established. The entire Roman Empire knew of the Jews. Their religious peculiarities were well known. Their synagogues were spread from Jerusalem to Antioch, from Alexandria to Rome. Paul’s later missionary efforts would use the local synagogues throughout the Mediterranean as places to preach. The Jewish faith was the seedbed from which Christianity sprouted. The leaders of this faith were justifiably proud of their religion’s successes. However, whatever light may have been possible to gain under this religion, the leaders were so opposed to Christ they conspired to have Him killed. The religion established through a prophet of God became the superstructure used to kill the Lord who first revealed it to Moses. As these devoted followers of Moses’ law were killing Christ, they were satisfied their judgment was more than justified by their religion. Religion and the religious were the ones who opposed the Lord. The sinners and irreligious were His followers.

 At the time of Christ, the Jews were completely devoted to their religion, and yet so unenlightened to the truth that they rejected Christ. There was a gulf between religious people and what they perceived as truth. Christ’s teachings attempted to bring people back to God by focusing on what was truly important. However, the Pharisees and other religious leaders of His day were so steeped in their form of religious observances they viewed Christ as apostate and a threat to their power and authority. These Jewish people were devoted to the faith they practiced. It was their security, their tradition, their identity. Through it, their place in the world was established. The leaders of this faith were justifiably proud of their religion’s successes. Religion and the religious were the ones who opposed the Lord."

Furthermore,

"All religions are prone to drift from what matters most to what matters not at all. Particularly in a hierarchical church, there are always those who confuse the expediency of having a hierarchy with the truths which save. Attention is distracted away from God and enlightenment and onto the hierarchy. God, knowing this great weakness of mankind has caused the slide into darkness among His people in all prior dispensations, warned in revelation about this very issue. He revealed: “Hence many are called, but few are chosen. No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—” (D&C 121: 40–42.) Salvation does not come through a hierarchy. It never has. It never will. Salvation comes as individuals are brought to have their hearts changed so they sing with joy the songs of redeeming love. People may help bring others to sing this song. And an enlightened hierarchy may lead others along that path. But it is up to each person to individually choose to have their hearts change. However good or bad leaders or others may be is irrelevant to individual salvation. In any church with an orderly hierarchy, there are those who have sought for a position of authority to prove to themselves they are accepted by God. More often than not they have been dismayed, when their ambition is realized, to find they’ve accomplished nothing. God is just as distant from them as He was before. He is not found in popular acclaim or public recognition. His is the still, small voice which is available to the obscure and the meek. Generally speaking, leadership interferes with, and does not promote, contact with the Holy Spirit."
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Sidenote:  I was sent a recent email that I also wanted to share.


“We have forgotten that it is either all about Him or not at all about Him. We've sought to make Jesus a mere "feature" and not the driving force of our lives. We've remade God and the Gospel into a simple means to selfish ends -- our own wealth and pleasure. Too many have made prayer something we do when we're in trouble, or when we're buying lottery tickets. Fellow Christians are suffering and dying around the world and we fill our minds and mouths with the latest news about people we don't even know.

The modern church is miles wide and inches deep. We try to convince the world that they should accept us because we are like them, not because we have the Answer or because we stand for something greater.”  LINK

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