Temple Blessings

I want to share with you an experience I had this week regarding going to the temple. My wife and I decided to go to the 5 pm session on Friday evening, since I had the day off and the temple was going to be closed for the two following weeks for maintenance and cleaning. We wanted to go before the temple was closed.

I had some things I wanted to get done on my day off and I wanted to attend the temple also, so I felt a bit conflicted, but I decided to go to the temple.

The temple session was completely full, every chair. I also saw neighbors and stake members there, which is not surprising, since Brigham City is a small city. I spent two hours in temple worship, which was peaceful and uplifting, which I am sure you all knew.

For me, the truly inspiring blessings came from my experience on Saturday and Sunday. I accomplished all that I needed do on Saturday, spent some time with family, and I felt many impressions on Sunday. My thoughts were clear and my spirit seemed buoyed up. And what great joy I felt!

If this same experience had not happened to me many times before, I would never think that these were indeed blessings of temple worship!

Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

 I have been blessed generously!

Quotes by President Eyring

Maybe you have already seen this on Facebook or www.ldsmissionaries.com, but I thought this would be a great place to keep the quotes for myself. I hope you find some of the inspirational or uplifting!

Rock of Our Redeemer

If you are like me, I'm sure you're sometimes weighed down with the evil that is in our world today. Elder Quintin L. Cook recently gave a talk at BYU that discusses these evil trends and how the adversary has inverted traditional values - bad is good and good is bad.

Just like Isaiah prophesied in Chapter 5:20 (See also 2 Nephi 15)

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

To resist these evils, we must be built upon the Rock of our Redeemer.

Helaman 5:12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

Please be wise and choose the banquet of happiness that awaits the saints of God.

Ten Talks of Christ

I thought that I would again post about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I want to start with the Living Christ document written and signed by the 12 apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice. None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth.

He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New. Under the direction of His Father, He was the creator of the earth. “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). Though sinless, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), yet was despised for it. His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. He entreated all to follow His example. He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead. He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our premortal existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come.

He instituted the sacrament as a reminder of His great atoning sacrifice. He was arrested and condemned on spurious charges, convicted to satisfy a mob, and sentenced to die on Calvary’s cross. He gave His life to atone for the sins of all mankind. His was a great vicarious gift in behalf of all who would ever live upon the earth.

We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded on Calvary. He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world.

He rose from the grave to “become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Cor. 15:20). As Risen Lord, He visited among those He had loved in life. He also ministered among His “other sheep” (John 10:16) in ancient America. In the modern world, He and His Father appeared to the boy Joseph Smith, ushering in the long-promised “dispensation of the fulness of times” (Eph. 1:10).

Of the Living Christ, the Prophet Joseph wrote: “His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:

“I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father” (D&C 110:3–4).

Of Him the Prophet also declared: “And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

“That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (D&C 76:22–24).

We declare in words of solemnity that His priesthood and His Church have been restored upon the earth—“built upon the foundation of … apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Eph. 2:20).

We testify that He will someday return to earth. “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (Isa. 40:5). He will rule as King of Kings and reign as Lord of Lords, and every knee shall bend and every tongue shall speak in worship before Him. Each of us will stand to be judged of Him according to our works and the desires of our hearts.

We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles—that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.

The point of this post is to let you know that there is a God, he has a plan for us, he sent his Son, Jesus Christ to atone for our sins, if we repent, and because of His resurrection, we also will be resurrected and live again after our mortal death.

Let's start with the plan. It is called the plan of salvation, the plan of happiness, the plan of redemption, or the great plan of happiness.

Here is a great talk by President Uchtdorf that explains the great plan of happiness:

Here is another talk by Elder McConkie, testifying of the divinity of Christ.

One of my favorites is the story told by Jeffery Holland of two brothers hiking in Southern Utah and how the redemption of Christ
is like their rescue:

The women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are amazing. Listen to the counsel and testimony of Sister Stephens regarding the Healing Power of Christ:

I had intended to post 10 talks of Christ and the great plan of salvation (happiness), but these 4 should keep you busy. If I find some more inpsirational talks of Christ, I will post them. In the mean time, you can find your own favorites at www.lds.org.

A Beautiful Fall Day

I snapped these a few weeks ago after our stake conference. It was an incredibly beautiful day, the kind you wish would never end!

 

A Good Samaritan

A Good Samaritan

A week ago, my son went to the temple in preparation for his mission. We had some family there and took some pictures, as you can see above.

While my daughter was setting up the camera on the tripod, we witnessed a good Samaritan performing a miracle.

We were all gathered for the photos when we saw a small child, may be 3 or 4, over by the Tabernacle coming towards us. We couldn't see a parent anywhere near the child.

As the child got closer and closer to Main Street, we left our spot and moved to the sidewalk along our side of the street.  My brother in law was whistling to alert the unseen parents, while the child left the sidewalk and started crossing the grass in the mow strip.

Just as the child was on the grass next to the street, a good Samaritan in a car stopped in the outside lane of Main Street and got out of her car and went and picked up the child.

We were shouting and whistling after we spotted the mother on First East on the other side of the Tabernacle. She came running when she realized that her child had gotten far away from her in just a moment.

Cars were stopping and changing lanes, since the Good Samaritan had left her car in the road. The mother took her child from the Good Samaritan and the Good Samaritan got back in her car and was off. The whole episode was over in 5 minutes, but how glad we were that a tragedy was prevented.

We witnessed a miracle that day.

Jesus Christ, The Savior of Mankind, The Son of God

If someone unfamiliar with Brigham City, the Brigham City Temple, or Mormons stumble across this blog, they might think that this is only about a large, ornate building in a small, Northern Utah town.

I want to dispel that impression right away.  The Brigham City Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints invites us to look heavenward to our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.

Here is what the Book of Mormon says about Christ. (BTW, Mormons believe in the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon as scripture)

From the Book of Second Nephi:

 

2 Nephi 25:23 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.

and verse 26:

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.

Of course, that source is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Here is what a leader of the Church said about sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others:

"The Lord made it clear at the very start of this last dispensation that we were to take the gospel to all the world. What He said to the few priesthood holders in 1831 He says to the many now. Whatever our age, capacity, Church calling, or location, we are as one called to the work to help Him in His harvest of souls until He comes again."

—Henry B. Eyring

So, if you stumble onto this blog, it is not just about a fancy building in a small Utah town. It is about Jesus Christ, the center of my faith.