SERENITY OF SPRING EQUINOX

Photos taken on early morning hike on March 20, 2012

"And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord;

wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things."

1 Nephi 18:3

One of the Lords best way to communicate to us is through symbolism:   Symbolism in the scriptures uses a familiar object, event, or circumstance to represent a principle or teaching of the gospel. The interpretation of the symbol is usually very personal. We can ask the Lord what the meaning of a symbol is. Nephi asked for the interpretation and the meaning of the symbols shown to his father in his dream. However, we don't need to be sleeping to see symbols, and to be taught by the Lord.

Most of us rely on the written word in the scriptures to be taught the gospel. Yes, the scriptures are probably the best source to learn the gospel, but it is possible, and actually very important to have personal tutoring sessions from above. How else do we develop a relationship with our Savior.

I am currently taking a few college classes. At the end of  each chapter in my text books are key words that are important to remember. Here are a few key words for me to remember from Spring Equinox.

• "Cloud" from the North
• Left Hand of God
• Sliver of MoonLight remaining
• Three Layers of Clothing
• Slippery Slope
• Need for a sure footing
• Alignment
• Guidance and Direction
• Light hitting the Highest Point
• Pyramid
• Flock of Birds
• Gratitude
• Tracks in the snow.
• The Cycles and Seasons of life.

VERNAL EQUINOX 2012

Photo of a pyramid shaped rock I found on top of mountain this morning on March 20, 2012.

We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed,

as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn,

and the day star arise in your hearts.

2 Peter 1:19

Today is the Vernal Equinox.. Vernal, or the latin word vernalis meaning "of the spring".. and Equinox translated literally, means "equal night." Because the Sun is positioned above the equator, day and night are about equal in length. Today is a day of balance. Equal light, equal dark. Starting tomorrow our days will get longer with more sunlight.  I thought this photo was best to post today to show the balance between light and shadow. Hopefully in the next few days I will have time to share more photos from today.

 It is also probably no coincidence that early Egyptians built the Great Sphinx so that it points directly toward the rising Sun on the day of the vernal equinox

POWER of GOD vs CONTROL of MEN

photo taken up in the Wasatch Mountain

"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.

For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God."

Romans 13:1

Tomorrow morning at 2:00 AM we switch to Daylight Savings Time. The power of men through congressional law control us to move our clocks ahead one hour.  We use the friendly  and positive term "spring forward"... (but in reality we lose an hour, but gain it back in the fall).   By advancing the clock one hour, the sun appears to set later in the evening. Of course, it also rises one hour later in the morning. The day of the big switch used to be the first Sunday of April, but in 2005, Congress revised the rule as an energy-saving measure. Bottomline line for me... I lose an hour of sleep.

Men feel powerful when they can control things. They become prideful. We might think we have power to control, like changing/altering the time...  but we don't control we only manipulate the things of God.

What would you do with an Extra Day added to your life?

TODAY IS LEAP YEAR DAY...

We are given an extra day to our calendar, to our life.

 "Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life;

yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely."

Alma 5: 34

I posted a similiar photo to this a few months ago.

http://davidkat99.blogspot.com/2011/10/solitiary-tree.html

I took this photo on the west side of Utah Lake on a drive in between General Conferences Session last fall. This photo includes the barbwire fence that is symbolically keeping us away from the "Tree of Life." 

How would you spend your day if you were given an extra day added to your life in mortality?.. What would you do with it? Who would you spend it with?

Hard question to answer.. but I think if I had an extra day.. and I had not yet had the opportunity to partake of the Tree of Life, like Lehi did with his family...I think I would spend my day cutting down the barbwires that keep me from reaching that tree and leading my family there and partaking of the fruit together.

I think we spend most of our mortal life on the opposite side of the barbwire fence.     

MOUNTAIN, PYRAMID, TEEPEE:

This is a photo of Lands End Mountain in Montrose, CO. 

I hiked to the top of this mountain over a year ago. 

The photo was sent to me by a friend who lives in Montrose.

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This is a redrock formation which looks alot like a pyramid. Its located at the mouth of Snow Canyon. 

Photo taken on February 18, 2012

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This is taken at the base of the Anasazi Petroglyphs in Santa Clara, UT. I recieved permission to spend a night with my family and sleep inside the teepee. Photo taken on February 19, 2012

I will write more shortly about what all three have in common.

THE SUN: Seal of Melchizedek

photo taken at a friends home in St. George on February 18, 2012

I took this picture down at our friends home in St. George. There is alot of symbolism that I saw in and around their house. This particular sun is on the outside of their home. It faces east to see the morning sun. It also is symbolic of the seal of Melchizedek.

I first learned about the seal of Melchizedek from Hugh Nibley's book, Temple and Cosmos: It is two offset, intersecting squares.  (sometimes seen with a circle or dot in the center of the two squares symbolic of the fixed, or sure place.)

The seal  is the universal symbolism of balance, harmony, and cosmic order. Its pattern is associated with early astronomy and ancient religion. It is symbolic of both stars and humanity’s earliest attempts to understand and communicate the order and unity inherent in the Creation.
The seal also is symbolic of an eight-point star. Eight also means renewal, and rebirth The eight lines are symbolic of the four corners of space (north, south, east, and west) and time (two solstices and two equinoxes)

STAR GAZING (not to be confused with Oscar Night in Hollywood)

Photos taken tonight on February 26, 2012

ALIGNMENT of PLANETS (Jupiter and Venus) AND THE MOON..

the Big Dipper above Mount Olympus taken on Wasatch Boulevard

The big dipper to the left and the bright star on the right which is Mars.

While most people were watching the "brightest stars" in Hollywood at the Oscars... there were heavenly stars or brightest planets in the solar system that lined up in the evening sky last night. The planets Venus and Jupiter  were visible in the western evening sky at sunset on Sunday, with the crescent moon hovering nearby. The planet Mercury was also visible briefly just after sunset before slipping below the horizon,. and the planet Mars is also was visible in the east a few hours after sunset.

While most the day was somewhat hazy, it was an a tender mercy to have the clouds dissipate to view the heavens last night. I was grateful to get a few nice photos of the planets, moon and other constellations like the Big Dipper.

SYMMETRY and CONTRAST

photo taken about a hundred yards from the home we stayed at with friends 

over President's Day weekend on February 18, 2012

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things."

2 Nephi 2:11

If you look at the photo, most would see just a desert landscape. Few might notice any symbolism in it, let alone see the symmetry or the contrasts. Here are just a few things to notice.

The contrasts(opposites) and the symmetry (balance):

• The top half of the photo is sky, the air is invisible to our eyesight, yet the substance is everpresent. (Heaven Above)
• The bottom half of the photo is land, the ground is solid, and tangible. (Earth Below)
• On the bottom half there is vegetation.
• The top half is solid and immovable rock.
• The left half of the red rock is in the Light. The right half of the red rock mountain is Dark. There is a canyon, or gulf that divides the two.

What is interesting to me is that there are clouds that appear on the red rock mountains in the Light. The air/gas has taken a form and descended down onto the high elevations of the earth.

Sidenote:
We usually misquote the above scripture by saying "there must be opposition in all things". We drop the "an" which changes the meaning. As quoted in 2 Nephi it simply means there must be a choice - good or bad, holiness or misery, etc. The way we misinterpret the scripture makes it sound like there always has to be a trial or difficulty. The test is simply are we going to choose the good - or the bad?

ADAM and EVE? ...The Anasazi Petroglyphs in Southwest Utah

photo taken February 19, 2012 of Anasazi Petroglyphs near Kayenta, Utah

in the southwest desert by Snow Canyon

"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty,

so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."

2 Corinthians 11:3

My family with our dear friends spent some time this past weekend exploring an ancient dwelling site of the Anasazi Indians. The word "Anasazi" means "the Ancient Ones" or the "Old Ones." This petroglyph site is near Kayenta, Utah which we learned was a sacred site dedicated by Elder Vaughn J Featherstone back in 1988.

In an LDS Church News article about the dedication, Elder Featherstone said, "I think after death, we don't wander far from where we lived on this earth. I think the ancient Lamanites that once inhabited this valley are nearby."

In above photo of one of the petroglyphs, there are two central figures.. a man and a woman. In my opinion, the figures could possibly be depicting Adam and Eve.  Below the woman on the lower left appears a fallen man who looks to be holding a serpent. This serpent appears to be biting (bruising) the heal of Eve. In the upper right, appears another figure, possibly a royal King or Supreme Being, since the figure appears to have a crown upon his head. Could these petroglyphs be depicting the first story of Adam and Eve and the Fall?

I was able to speak with an 80 year Anasazi man who lives on the site about the petroglyphs and the surrounding area. He said the petroglyphs tell the story of the history of the world.. of the past, present and future. Here is short video of him offering a prayer song to us with his drums. When I asked him what the meaning of the song was.. he said.. "We walk the same path where our Creator walked long ago."

PRESIDENTS DAY and THE MORMON BATTALION FLAG

Photo of the Mormon Battalion Flag that I took in the office of Eldred G Smith,

the Presiding Patriarch of the Church. He has the one and only original.

President's Day it is meant to honor and remember the past presidents of the U.S. and their contributions to creating the country it is today. Advocates in the 1960′s wanted to honor both Washington and President Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is February 12, on a single federal holiday. February 22 is President George Washington’s actual birthday. Oh, how caliber of Presidents have changed over the years since our Founding Fathers.

I mentioned in an early post that I spent some time with Eldred Smith in his office. I haven't felt that I should share publically much of what was discussed, but thought it would be appropriate to share the following.

Eldred Smith has in his possession the original flag used in the Mormon Battalion. John Smith (Hyrum's oldest son, and Eldred's great grandfather was a standard bearer. It is nine feet long. The flag has the stars and stripes like the American flag.. If you look closely.. the flag used to have the beehive painted in the blue square with 13 stars surrounding the hive (representative of bees) However, an eagle was painted over the hive to best show the allegiance to the United States. He has a photo of him holding the flag while sitting on a horse. Flag was within one foot of the ground. The flag has no sewing on it. It is painted on one piece of linen. It was originally to be the flag of Deseret and they painted over it to become a military flag. Not only was an eagle was painted over the beehive, but the California bear was painted on the center. The words LIFE GUARDS were painted on it. The battalion carried it to California and back.

Early latterday saints really were not "uber" Americas and did not have the allegiance to man made government, but had the goal to bring the Lord's Zion and His government of peace to the earth. However, it seems like The United States literally beat the Church into submission. Now the Church is uber-American. The truest of true American institutions. Many years later in the early 1900's The Republican Party beat the Church into submission during the Smoot Senate Confirmation hearings. Now the Church is uber-Republican. The reddest of red states is Utah.

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

Gradualism is the way in which even glaciers move. Eventually, however, even glaciers begin to melt when they reach warmer climates.

DAUGHTERS OF GOD

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO MY BEAUTIFUL FAMILY.

"Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else."

Doctrine and Covenants 42:22

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

Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands;

and their husbands and their wives love their children.

Jacob 3:7

I am a blessed man. I live in a home of angels.Grateful to all that the Lord has blessed me with. A friend of mine gave the following Valentine's Day advice. Instead of spending money at an expensive restaurant, or buying the biggest teddy bear, chocolates, and/or jewelry, he said, " in rebellion against the commercialism of our day, make it an act or write a poem (or if you're incapable of that then a letter), or show some kindness instead of making a purchase."

Well in addition to shaving my beard this morning (my act of kindness to my wife), I thought I would write a Valentine's Blog/Poem to my wife and 4 daughters.  

Roses are Red,

Violets are Blue.

You are beautiful daughters of God

and Your Father loves you.

D&C 88:90 The voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds

DISCLAIMER: I did not take this photos.

Spectacular "cloud tsumani" rolls over Florida on February 5, 2012

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/10/10375026-spectacular-cloud-tsunami-rolls-over-florida-high-rise-condos


I don't have much to say about this, other than when I first saw these images  come across my computer screen, I immediately had this scripture come to mind in Moses 3:5

" For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth."

I have been reading a book called "The Harbinger" written by Jonathon Cahn. It is an important book to read if one is not familiar with promises (and curses) assosiated with this Promised Land we call America. We are currently walking a very dangerous path in light of the parallels shown in scripture.

ELDRED G. SMITH: Presiding Patriarch to the Church

photo taken on February 7, 2012 ( one month after his 105th Birthday)

photo taken in Eldred's office of the photographs of his patriarchal lineage back to Hyrum Smith.

I will write more shortly

EFFECTS OF LIGHT

photo taken on January 22, 2012

"At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun,

shining round about me and them which journeyed with me."

Acts 26:13

It is fairly unusual to see a rainbow effect in the sky at midday without a rain storm. I took this photo up Big Cottonwood after driving farther than I had planned on to take other  photographs for a previous post.

We hear the terms "further light and knowledge" quite frequently in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is an interesting phrase. It seems that most in this world would rather seek for "further wealth and security" or at least "further entertainment and pleasure".

 I recently read an scripture in 3 Nephi 27: 32:

"But behold, it sorroweth me because of the fourth generation from this generation, for they are led away captive by him even as was the son of perdition; for they will sell me for silver and for gold, and for that which moth doth corrupt and which thieves can break through and steal. And in that day will I visit them, even in turning their works upon their own heads."

.

The Lord is prophesying in this verse about the future generations who received the fullness of the gospel and had the opportunity to build  a Zion society. The three generations following the Lord's visit to America were righteous, had all things in common...  but something happened in the fourth generation... they sell out "Christ" for silver and gold... they seek out further wealth and security instead of further light and knowledge.

Does history always repeat? What are we seeking after? One might say that we are in the fourth generation after the restoration of the fullness was given to Joseph Smith. (Parley P Pratt, is my great great grandpa. I think that makes me a fourth generation from him.) 

  

Anyway.. the important questions are how do we receive further light and knowledge. What does that even mean? Is this something we should and are seeking after on a personal daily basis?

HEARING FOR THE FIRST TIME

 Dedicated to a friend.

"He who hath faith to hear, shall hear."

Doctrine and Covenants 42:50

This video is of Sarah Churman, a 29 year old mother of 2, who after receiving an implant in her ear is able to hear for the first time.  It effected me greatly when I saw it, and I wanted to share it with others in case you have not seen it already.

She was born with a rare genetic deformity that means she's missing the hair in her inner ear that transmits sound to the brain. She was fitted with her first hearing aid at age 2, but even with that technology she could only hear some vibrations and loud noises. She compensated throughout her life by becoming adept at reading people’s lips. She could speak very well but was unable to hear the sounds. Amazing.

She had never been able to hear her husband speak, her children laugh, the birds sing, or the sounds of the ocean.

While all of us have physical ears and can hear the physical sounds around us, most are still unable to hear spiritually. When one is able to hear spiritually for the first time, the overwhelming emotional joy is similiar what you see in the video.

"Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not;

and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand."

Matthew 13:13

MAJESTIC

Photos taken on January 27, 2012 when I went up snowboarding last Friday for my Birthday.

Little did I know that  Brighton Ski Resort was also celebrating their 75th  Birthday/Anniversary.

It was fun to celebrate the day together with Balloons, Free Gifts, Music and Fireworks.

"The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty."

Psalms 29: 4

MAJESTY: Greatness of appearance; dignity; grandeur; dignity of aspect or manner;

the quality or state of a person or thing which inspires awe or reverence in the beholder.

There is a ski run up at Brighton call Majestic. Once a skier/snowboarder has learned all the skills necessary to make it down the mountain safely, the skier/snowboarder advances on from the bunny hill to the Majestic chair lift.  We have taught all of our daughters how to ski. Before you teach anyone to ski, you need to make sure they do not have fear. Usually at the very beginning of learning, I tie rope around my daughter's waist, so I can make sure she does not lose control and go to fast down the hill. Once I feel she is ready to go down by herself, I will ski down first and then have her follow me... that way, I am still able to catch her or cushion her fall. After several times of skiing down the bunny hill and the necessary skills are mastered, we head up to the Majestic ski run. Once you have skied down the Majestic Ski Run, you can then call yourself a skier.

THE START DATE IN MORTALITY

photo taken about 43 years ago of yours truly

Everyone in this world shares one thing in common. We all have a "start" date.. or in other words a Birthday. Due to this mortal realm, we all have an "end" date as well. (There are a few exceptions however). Today happens to be the day I recognize my "start date". I plan to go up on the slopes and go snowboarding today.
However, before I take off, I wanted to share something that I  read yesterday in a book I am reading. I found it very interesting.

From the book the Castaways:

"There's a tribe in Africa that counts a child's birthday from the day it first appears as a thought in it's mother's mind. On that day, the woman sits under a tree and quietly listens and waits until she can hear the song of her child. When she has heard the song, she returns to her village and teachs it to the child's father, so that they can sing the song when they are together and make love, inviting the child to join them.

The expectant mother then sings the song to the child in her womb and teaches it to the midwives, who sing it when the child is born. All the villagers learn the child's song as well, so that whenever the child cries or hurts itself, they can pick the child up, hold it in their arms and sing the song. The song is also sung when the young person goes through a rite of passage, when he or she marries, and one last time when he or she is about to die."

Individualized love, conveyed to each child through "their song" from preconception to death strengthens identity, belonging and self-worth. Could implementing a similiar patten "heal" the problems we see in today's youth?

SHARP CONTRASTS: Black and White

photo taken  on January 22, 2012 up Big Cottonwood Canyon

"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold."

Matthew 24: 12

 HOWEVER...

“Be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you;

and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God,

that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.”

D&C 68:6

The righteous way of life stands in SHARP CONTRAST to the ways of the world:

"The gospel offers us not only the prospect of eternal life, but provides us a whole way of life in mortality. Whereas so many in the world see death as the end and the loss of hope, we testify to the reality of the resurrection. Just as immortality and eternal life stand in such sharp contrast to the world’s lack of purpose, so the righteous way of life stands in sharp contrast to the ways of the world. Let us make certain there is oil in our own lamps. Let us live our lives so we can have the gift of the Holy Ghost operating evermore constantly in our lives."

Spencer W Kimball Dec 1977 "A Gift of Gratitude"



PURITY: Whiteness beyond anything earthly.

photo taken of Big Cottonwood River on 1/22/2012 after a long awaited snow stormn this past weekend

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart,

that ye may be filled with this love,

which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ;

that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him,

for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope;

 that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

Moroni 7:48

 Purity:

• Freedom from foreign admixture
• the state of being unsullied by sin or moral wrong,
• containing nothing that does not properly belong.
• unmixed with any other matter

I will write more shortly.

The Second Comforter

a photo painting that I gave my wife and my parents for Christmas 

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, 

that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive,

because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him:

but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
John 14: 16-18

Who is this Second Comforter?

Joseph Smith received the answer to this question through revelation.

“Now what is the other comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter; that when any man obtains this last Comforter [the promise of eternal life], he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even He will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face. … “

(HC 3:381.) (Quoted in Ivan J. Barrett, “‘He Lives! For We Saw Him’,” Ensign, Aug 1975, 17)

PANORAMIC VISION SHOWN TO NEPHI BY AN ANGEL

The handout for my Sunday School class on Nephi's Vision. (I Nephi chapters 12-14)

“No message appears in scripture more times, in more ways than ‘Ask, and ye shall receive’”

(Conference Report, Oct. 1991).

Nephi applied the invitation to ask for the “things that [his] father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known” (1 Nephi 11:1). Nephi’s righteous desires were rewarded, for he not only recorded information that was similar to what we have recorded about Lehi’s vision, but he recorded a panoramic vision of this world to the end of time. In putting this handout together I had a greater appreciation for Nephi as a prophet, seer, and revelator. He saw future events. He preached repentance. He revealed truth.

Sidenote: In reading the student Manual for the lesson, I read the following passage that I liked:

President John Taylor spoke of the necessity of going beyond simply being members of the Lord’s Church if we are to be sufficiently worthy to stand before our Father in Heaven: “There is something that goes a little further than we think about sometimes; and that is, while we profess to be followers of the Lord, while we profess to have received the Gospel and to be governed by it, a profession will amount to nothing unless we have washed our robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. It is not enough for us to be connected with the Zion of God, for the Zion of God must consist of men that are pure in heart and pure in life and spotless before God, at least that is what we have got to arrive at. We are not there yet, but we must get there before we shall be prepared to inherit glory and exaltation; therefore a form of godliness will amount to but little with any of us. . . . It is not enough for us to embrace the Gospel . . . and be associated with the people of God, attend our meetings and partake of the Sacrament of the Lord’s supper, and endeavor to move along without much blame of any kind attached to us; for notwithstanding all this, if our hearts are not right, if we are not pure in heart before God, if we have not pure hearts and pure consciences, fearing God and keeping His commandments, we shall not, unless we repent, participate in these blessings about which I have spoken, and of which the Prophets bear testimony” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor [2001], 114–15).

COVERING OF DARKNESS

one more photo of the moon taken on  12/10/11 

For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people:

but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

Isaiah 60:2

Some good quotes about losing light and being covered in darkness:
The titles church of the devil and great and abominable church are used to identify all . . . organizations of whatever name or nature—whether political, philosophical, educational, economic, social, fraternal, civic, or religious—which are designed to take men on a course that leads away from God and his laws and thus from salvation in the kingdom of God” (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 137–38).

We have good sources for New Testament Christianity of losing light and entering into apostasy; when the lights go out, so to speak, and we hear the muffled sounds of a great struggle. When the lights come on again a hundred or so years later, we find that someone has rearranged all the furniture and Christianity has become something very different from what it was in the beginning” (Stephen E. Robinson, “Warring against the Saints of God,” Ensign, Jan. 1988, 38–39).

EARLY MORNING WONDER IN THE SKY

photo taken along Fashion Boulevard on Monday January 9, 2012

The moon on my first day of school.

"A wise man will hear, and will increase learning;

and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels."

Proverbs 1:5

To make a long story short, I have felt prompted to take a few college classes. To fit the classes around my work schedule and family responsibilities, I go to work early in the morning and late at night. So needless to say, I have many opportunities to see the moon. Because of my lunar obsession and lack of shaving, my wife thinks I might be part werewolf. :) 

I am taking four very interesting classes.  Pathology, Microbiology, Grief Counseling, and a Microbiology Lab.  For those who are not familiar with pathology, it is the study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from ancient greek, Pathos meaning "feeling, suffering," and logia meaning " the study of".

Going back to school later in life is not easy but I have felt this is something I am suppose to do, it is important for some reason. My perspective is different now that I am older  and see symbolism in everything I am learning. I am not sure I would have learned/discovered these things as a 20's something returned missionary.

Grateful for the support that I have received from my family and friends.

THE WANING OF THE MOON

photo taken last night of the moon rising over Mount Olympus on 01/11/12.

 WANING: To decrease gradually in size, amount, intensity, or degree. To approach an end.

The reflective light we see from moon is constantly changing. It is either increasing or decreasing. Waxing or Waning. Just like the moon's light, we too are either gaining more light/knowledge in our life, or losing more light.  

I like this scripture found in John 3: 30. John talking about the Savior and His mission states, "He must increase, but I must decrease." John was a humble man. He never sought to make a big name for himself, he had followers but led them all to the One True Source. He knew who to look for salvation, and pointed out to others that his role must decrease while the Lord's role must increase. It was a time of "waning" for John and a "waxing" for Christ.

A PATRIARCH: FATHER OF A FAMILY

photo taken of my daughter Eden in my hands

 "..their father spake unto them, and blessed them;

every one according to his blessing he blessed them/"

Genesis 49:28

A priesthood blessing is sacred. It can be a holy and inspired statement of our wants and needs. If we are in tune spiritually, we can receive a confirming witness of the truth of the promised blessings. Priesthood blessings can help us in the small and great decisions of our lives. If, through our priesthood blessings, we could perceive only a small part of the person God intends us to be, we would lose our fear and never doubt again.

Elder John A. Widtsoe stated, “Every father, having children born to him under the covenant, is to them as a patriarch, and he has the right to bless his posterity in the authority of the Priesthood which he holds.”

A few months ago I blessed our baby daughter Eden. At the beginning of every school year, I give a blesssing to each of my daughters. I started school today, and received a blessing from my Dad last night. What a privilege it is to give a blessing, and what a comfort it is to recieve one.

......

Sidenote:

Today is the Birthday of the last sustained Patriarch of the Church, Eldred G. Smith. Born on January 9, 1907, He is now 105 years old. He is the oldest-lived 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 recieves. Just the fact of his age, he should be given some attention. He is the great great grandson of Hyrum Smith, Joseph Smith's brother. The Church as undergone tremendous changes since Joseph Smith, including the gradual dissolving of the office of Patriarch of the Church. The Patriarch of the Church was used to ordain the President of the Church using the hereditary priesthood line running back to Joseph and Hyrum.

INSPIRATIONAL STORY

I normally don't post things other than original photographs.. but I thought this was very inspirational especially following up on my last post with my daughter's experience in ice skating. If you watch this to the end, it sure will make you appreciate all of your blessings. 

TRYING SOMETHING NEW

photo of Sarah's first time Ice Skating taken on December 28, 2011

"Arise; ... be of good courage, and do it."

Ezra 10:4

It sounds crazy to attach a sharp thin blade to the bottom of your feet and then then try to stand up on a sheet of ice. Not only do you have to worry about falling on your head, but you run the risk of cutting yourself with a razor sharp blade... Yet we do this for fun and enjoyment. Common sense would tell you to not attempt it because you could get hurt. We are told to avoid things in our lives that potentially could harm us. If we only wear rubber shoes and walk on stable ground we will never know what it feels like to glide on ice.. one of the closest things that humans have to flying.    

AT THE APPOINTED HOUR

photo taken on New Year's Eve with my two daughters

"Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee,"

Genesis 18:14

Last night my wife and I spent New Years Eve with our three youngest daughters. Our oldest daugther was with her friends at a party. This was the first time that we stayed home on New Years Eve, since we usually go out to dinner with friends and neighbors. To make the night fun for our girls, my wife had the idea to put treats and games in separate bags that the girls could open up at the "appointed" hour... 7, 8, 9 o'clock up until 12:00 midnight. With anticipation, my daugthers looked forward to the next hour so they could see what was inside the bag. However, around 11:30 they both fell asleep. Approaching the most important hour when a new year would be ushered in, they were not awake... even thought they were faithful up to that point and  they were determined to not fall asleep before midnight. Many parables from the scriptures came to mind. We woke them up just minutes before the "ball fell in Times Square".

Sidenote: 2012 could be an interesting year. Alot of speculation and different theories is out in cyberspace with the whole end to the Mayan calendar. Just something interesting ... the number 12 is a symbolic number... among other things.. 12 is the last number we use on our clocks before we start over again with one.  Adding 2012 together equals 5, which is also a very important number.

Here is an interesting scripture:

"The Lord of that servant will come in a day he looketh not for, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him down, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers."

Luke 12: 46

2011: YEAR IN REVIEW

2011 has been quite a year for our family. This is the 13th year that I have put together a family video which I give as a gift to my wife. I posted it up on youtube since it was an easy way to share with other family members to see. Here is the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BEsuh4dOlM&feature=channel_video_title

MERRY CHRISTMAS

photo taken on December 22nd , 2011(Winter Solstice)

May your day be filled with the Light of Christ.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOSEPH SMITH

photo taken last night on the Winter Solstice of the Christmas light on Temple Square.

Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only,

for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it.

 Doctrine and Covenants 135: 3

Today is Joseph Smith's Birthday. Interesting that his birth is on the Winter Solstice marking the beginning when more light starts to break forth after the day of most darkness. We would do well if we studied more in the "Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith" and "The Words of Joseph Smith."  

Winter Solstice Sunset

photo taken on top of Ensign Peak as the sun was setting just before 5:00 PM on 12/22/11

 A  BEAUTIFUL CLEAR BLUE SKY DAY!

Yesterday was the shortest day of the year... longest night as well. The sun rose about 8:00 AM and set about 5:00 PM.. only 9 hours of sunlight compared to 15 hours without sun. Starting today, we now begin to get about one more minute of sunlight until the Summer Solstice.  

The Salt Lake Valley usually has along of pollution and smog during the winter from the inversion making it difficult to see the blue sky and the sun. Fortunately a storm passed through clearing out all of the bad air.

WINTER SOLSTICE: Darkest Day of the Year

photo taken of snow/ice on the side of a road taken on the day of the lunar eclipse

I will write more shortly

Miracle of Lights

photo taken on a "movie set" of the doors leading to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in October 2011

Above is a photo taken of a reconstructed "Jerusalem" movie set. It is being used to create short videos depicting areas of the Temple and other sacred locations at the time of Christ.

I posted this photo because today is important day for over 13 million people in the world or roughly 0.2% of the total world population. The Jews.   I find it interesting that it is about the same number of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  

Today is Hanukkah. or also known as "Miracle of Lights" or "Festival Of Lights" (It actually began last night at sundown when the first candle of the memorah is lit._  

Many do not know what Hanukkah is.. including me. So I did a little research.

The word "Hanukkah," which means dedication, refers to the rededication of the Holy Temple, (the same temple that existed at the time of Christ)  at which time the menorah was lit. According to the ancient story, when the Jews re-dedicated the Holy Temple, there was very little oil remaining to light the Temple menorah (or candelabra) -- as the bulk of the lamp oil had been polluted. But the oil that was only enough for one day, miraculously lasted eight days. This is considered to be the origin of the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah.

It is somewhat ironic that Hanukah is the most widely known Jewish holiday, despite the fact that it is a minor holiday. Hanukkah is not described in scripture, and it does not have the religious significance of Passover, Sukkot, Shavuot, Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur. Still, the celebration of Hanukkah, the history behind its traditions, and the symbolism of the miracle of the oil lasting seven days longer.. a miracle.

WHITE TAILED DEER

PEACE IN THE CHAOS

photo taken of a billboard at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth,

give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

John 14:27

While Christmas time should be a time of peace... it usually is the busiest time of year for me. I don't think I am alone when I say that instead of peace and calm.. I feel overwhelmed. This billboard has an important message.. despite the chaos all around us.. may we all find peace.

I read this quote today that I really liked that I wanted to share:

We need to realize that spiritual enlightenment is not something which you are going to achieve or accomplish. You are not going to attain earn or acquire spiritual blessings. You will receive them -if you receive them at all- by being open to Gods gifts. He gives freely. But unless we are quiet enough, open enough, and prayerful enough to be apart, to be alone, to be in solemn, careful and ponderous thought, we will never receive what is freely given to all.

MOON OVER SALT LAKE CITY

photo taken this morning at 7:00 AM of the lunar eclipse

"But, behold, I say unto you that before this great day shall come the sun shall be darkened,
and the moon shall be turned into blood, and the stars shall fall from heaven,
and there shall be greater signs in heaven above and in the earth beneath;
Doctrine and Covenants 29:14

POSTERITY AND OUR WORDS

photo of WWI memorial site at Memory Grove that I went to on Veterans Day.

"There is no permanency to men's lives, nor to the work of men's hands. there are only two things which will endure with any permanency: posterity and our words. Words endure: buildings, even temples, do not. The closer the words are to the will of God, the more likely they are to endure. Revelations are the most enduring of all. But all expressions of faith and hope endure long beyond words of opposition, faithlessness, and anger.

Get yourself in harmony with God, call upon Him and record His voice to you and you will leave something eternal behind for your posterity. the record of your own testimony, and your posterity, will alone endure. It is one of the reasons for the inspired instruction from our leaders to "keep a journal" of our lives.

"Get a notebook, a journal that will last through all time, and maybe the angels may quote from it for eternity. Begin today and write in it your goings and comings, your deepest thoughts, your achievements and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies. Remember, the Savior chastised those who failed to record important events." Spencer W Kimball

excerpts from Nephi's Isaiah.

photo of the above memorial with one of the names Royal Christenson

THE LIVING VINE

 photo taken near Memory Grove on December 5, 2011

Note: the middle leaf  is shaped like a heart with 5 main veins from the center stem.

Christ uses the example of a living "vine" or branch or description of His Father as a husbandman to suggest you should have a living connection to God. A living connection implies you are in contact with Him. You hear from and listen to Him. He is a part of you and an active part of your life and growth.

How each of us received contact with God, how we hear His voice, and what gifts we possess are unique. There is no single, universal way for one to "hear His voice and know that He is". And so it is a mistake to ignore your own unique talent for "hearing" your Father in Heaven. He did not send you here powerless to hear Him. But it will require you to develop the capacity. Relying merely upon your "feeling" or "emotions" alone is insufficient; you must learn to hear His voice.

UNIQUE COMMUNICATION

photo taken while laying on my back looking at the "heaven's above"

"And they shall see signs and wonders,

for they shall be shown forth in the heavens above,

and in the earth beneath."

Doctrine and Covenants 45:40

"We are unique, and Gods' ways of speaking to each of us is as unique as each of us. We do ourselves a great disservice when we attempt to fit ourselves into a singular, sterotypical persona seeking only a singular way for God to talk with and to us. We make ourselves into something we aren't, in search to find what cannot be found that way. If we demand only the extraordinary before we will recognize His voice, we run the risk of looking in the wrong way for Him. His voice is there. He speaks to all of us. But we can miss it if we are not attuned to listen.

You may never be able to hear God speak to you in the way in which others hear Him. If you determine He must speak to you in a specific way, and not in any other way, you can go a lifetime without ever having a conversation with Him. He longs to speak with each of us. Within each o fus there is something uniquely attuned to Him. How He reaches out to you may be as singular and unique as you are and you can be assured He is reaching out. In fact, God is rather noisy, if you will allow Him to be.

We were never intended to live without a direct connection to Him. Instead, we should hear His voice, and n time discover He is our "friend."

quotes taken from the book... "Nephi's Isaiah"