Do Saving Ordinances Save?

Many years ago I served in the Young Womens in my ward. During that time I was introduced to possibly the most cheerful person I have ever met - Lexee. She was about 15 years old and she could frequently be found smiling...no, smiling isn't the right description. Her mouth was typically in such an exuberant expression that it made her eyes little slits. That was Lexee. She wasn't a member of the church, but was neighbors to one of the girls in our Young Womens group who invited her to come to church.

Over the course of the next two years she and I would become very good friends. She came to me often to seek advice and for friendship. She was so bubbly yet also incredibly deep and insightful. She was seeking Truth like no other teenager that I had ever met. Lexee eventually got baptized and was so excited to be able to do baptisms for the dead. She went as soon as she could and she spoke of loving the peace and quiet in the temple. Then one day she came to me and asked if she could tell me about a dream she had about the Temple.

She said she was in the basement of the temple preparing to do baptisms for the dead when a fire broke out. The fire was intense, huge, and everywhere. The members in the basement were panicking, screaming, and running for their lives. As she burst out of the door to the main level where the lobby was, it was filled with people who were immodest, worldly, and beautiful. They were mingling with each other and laughing. Then she awoke. She asked, "What do you think that means, Sister Thompson?!!"

The interpretation I will leave up to you.

I have pondered a lot on the Temple. I may have said this elsewhere on this blog but when my husband and I were first beginning our journey to Jesus, between the two of us, we went to the Temple every single day it was open for nearly a year. We couldn't get enough - we were seeking and we believed that to seek Jesus meant that you go to the Temple at every opportunity. It was a unique time and I had very special experiences because of the sacrifice made to get up in the 4am hour to be the first at the temple before our kids got up. I also had special experiences there because I truly believed it was the only place I could have real access to God. So he met me in my ignorance and taught me. 

Before I share the crux of this post, I want to declare that I am not some inactive member who has an ax to grind about the Temple. I have found great value in the temple endowment journey and recommend this website. What I am is an inactive member who has thoughts and questions about the Temple.

About 13 years ago we remodeled our kitchen. Everything had to be torn out and a wall was knocked down to make it better fit our growing family. In the process we chose to take everything that was in the kitchen and move it downstairs in a vacant corner. At first it was an eyesore and drove me nuts. Those items weren't things we used often, but I couldn't wait to get the kitchen done and get everything properly organized.

It wasn't until a few months after our kitchen remodel was completed that my mother-in-law was visiting and she commented that she was proud of me for being able to "live with that mess downstairs" and was proud that, "it wasn't bothering" me.

Now, before you think my husbands mother was making a passive-aggressive comment to her daughter-in-law, let me dispel that stereotype immediately. She wasn't. She knew my need for order and was genuinely proud of me for, "letting it all hang out" as it were. The only problem was - I wasn't doing it intentionally nor had I "overcome" my need for neatness. I had simply blocked out that corner of my house in my mind - even though I had to pass it multiple times a day! It wasn't until she said that comment that my "eyes were opened" and I did see.

What I'm going to post today has been staring us members in the face for so long, we have blocked it out. Like my mother-in-law did for me, I want to say that we have something that needs our attention in the scriptures - it is time look where we have previously ignored.

D&C 137 is a revelation that was given to Joseph Smith in 1836. Let us read:

1 The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell.

2 I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto circling flames of fire;

3 Also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son.

4 I saw the beautiful streets of that kingdom, which had the appearance of being paved with gold.

5 I saw Father Adam and Abraham; and my father and my mother; my brother Alvin, that has long since slept; 

6 And marveled how it was that he had obtained an inheritance in that kingdom, seeing that he had departed this life before the Lord had set his hand to gather Israel the second time, and had not been baptized for the remission of sins.

7 Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God;

8 Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom;

9 For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.

10 And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven.

 

This vision became D&C 137 which was the last chapter in our Doctrine and Covenants.

I should say, D&C 137 was the last chapter....until Joseph F. Smith, in the October 4th, 1918 General Conference, said that he had received a vision of the spirits of the dead the day prior. Three weeks later Joseph F. Smith's vision (along with other 'divine communications' he received) were voted on by the First Presidency, the Council of the Twelve, and the Patriarch. The visions were unanimously accepted to become D&C 138.

Coincidentally no church president (besides Joseph Smith) has ever offered any other dreams or visions to be accepted as scripture either before or after this experience from Joseph F. Smith.

Because Joseph's vision which became Doctrine and Covenants 137 had already been accepted by the members for decades and because it revealed that temple work was unnecessary, I wasn't surprised to see that the next and now final chapter of the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C 138) would need to be Joseph F. Smith's vision of....Drumroll please:

The importance of Temple work and Temple ordinances.

After General Conference last week I had a friend reach out and text me a link to President Nelson's latest General Conference talk. This friend isn't, in my opinion, a super 'spiritual person'. When they encouraged me to read the talk and said they, "felt electrified" by his words and that the end was nigh - my interest was piqued.

These lines summarized, in my opinion, President Nelson's agenda for his talk:

"Why are we building temples at such an unprecedented pace? Why? Because the Lord has instructed us to do so. The blessings of the temple help to gather Israel on both sides of the veil. These blessings also help to prepare a people who will help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord!"

I forget, won't we have an entire millennium to get temple work for the dead done? But we gotta hasten, hasten, hasten to add that single drop in the bucket of dead works.

Here was President Nelson's piece de resistance line:

"Here is my promise to you: Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find Him in the temple."

Translation: Pay your dues (tithing) so that you can go find Jesus in the only place you can truly find Him...in a temple made with hands.

Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me , and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am.
— D&C 93:1

Below has been written elsewhere but I'll copy and paste it again:  

The carnal view sees the temple as outward and literal. Just like Nicodemus thought Jesus meant he needed to literally go back into his mother's womb and be born again, the carnal man works from the outside in. They look for things outside of themselves and try to improve their environment, thinking it will bring happiness. They feel that outward saving ordinances and performances, like those done in temples, must be of the utmost importance over everything else.

The spiritual perspective realizes that the inner cup (their soul) is to be cleansed first, then all things will be added. They understand that all ordinances are only outward symbols of what should have already occurred within themselves.

The carnal man emphasizes the beauty and purpose of the temple building. They speak of the temple often, surround themselves with images of it—on pictures, calendars, wall art, jewelry, etc—and make it a point to visit the grounds with their young children, or to visit as many different temples as they can.

The spiritual person realizes that the temple building is no more than a symbol of themselves and that they are a walking temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16). The spiritual person realizes that God can create a building much more grand than the the best built by human hands, but to create a Son or Daughter of God is much more difficult. THIS is the work of creation! This is the Glory of "the Fathers". The spiritual person respects the building but sees it as a symbol of themselves and does not revere it excessively. The spiritual man or woman is a temple that is built without hands.

To the carnal man, the temple takes on an undue importance that overshadows other things. They see it as an important place that they must go so they can check off their list of saving ordinances. They attend regularly to do work for their kindred dead and believe their salvation is tied to the attending of the temple.

The spiritual man understands the temple's place in their spiritual journey and keeps it in proper perspective. They understand that they themselves are found among the (spiritually) dead and that the work they do in the temple is more for their own benefit than for their ancestors. They know their salvation is only found in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone.

The carnal person sees the creation parable in the endowment as nothing more than a historical account of the creation of the earth and how man and woman came to be. They see the fall of man as a event caused by literally eating from a prohibited fruit tree in the Garden of Eden. They see the way back to God as all the things that they must DO rather than what they must BE.

The spiritual individual realizes that all that is taught in the endowment is about them. They realize that they are "the man, Adam" spoken of in the creation story. On a deeper level of understanding, they see that they are comprised of a body, mind, and spirit (a holy trinity) and that Adam represents the Spirit and Eve represents the Body. They understand why Eve must be subject to Adam, because the body must be subject to the spirit, otherwise there is death (Mosiah 3:19). They understand that God is part of this trinity and that they (Adam; the spirit) can hear His voice if they will just pay attention and listen.

The carnal individual perceives the signs and tokens given in the endowment as grand secrets that are only given to the elect of God and feel that because they have received the signs and tokens, they are one of these elect. They believe there are things they must DO in order to reach the Celestial kingdom after they die. They think that they must protect the signs and tokens from being divulged on the peril of their own life because it is the mere knowledge of these secret signs and tokens which will allow one to pass by the angels and gain entrance into heaven.

The spiritual person realizes the signs and tokens have a deep spiritual meaning and that they are a mirror of what they should BE. They realize the mere knowledge of them exalts no one. They know that their own state of being and their relationship to God is what is symbolized by the tokens.

The carnal person lives in fear. They believe that when times get tough, they can save themselves by their external preparations (e.g. food storage), but are always fearful (and rightfully so) that they have not prepared enough. They suspect the "holy place" spoken of by Jesus (Matthew 24:15) means a place in the temple (building).

The spiritual person lives by faith and finds that perfect faith casts out all fear. They know that true peace comes from their relationship with God and the "holy place" spoken of is their own heart. They do not fear what happens externally, because they know that whatever happens will be for their own profit and learning. They take no thought for the morrow, but rely totally on God (Matthew 6:25-34).

The carnal person is "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3:7). The carnal individual is always searching for heaven but never seems to be able to find it. They are confused when others cry, "Lo here...here is the kingdom of heaven!" They choose one of the "strange roads" (1 Nephi 8:32) and become convinced that the way they have chosen is the correct one and that all others are in error. They trust in the arm of flesh (2 Nephi 4:34) and never find heaven because they are looking in the wrong place.

The spiritual person realizes that the creation parable teaches them that the new earth over which Adam is given dominion symbolizes their own physical body. They realize that they have been given dominion to overcome the "lusts of the flesh" and make their world (body) a celestial abode—a heaven on earth inside themselves. When others cry "Lo here," they are unmoved, for they do not externally seek for the kingdom of God. They realize the Kingdom of God is found within (Luke 17:21).

The carnal person thinks that life is a test and has a destination. They are seldom truly happy or joyful because of the stressful thoughts that arise from their own potential failure of the test or not knowing if they will truly arrive at the set destination.

The spiritual person knows that being redeemed from the fall and exercising great faith like the Brother of Jared is the destination. (Ether 12:19-22)

The flesh is indeed willing, but the spirit is weak

I was reading in the LDS Living magazine, "How to add names to the temple prayer roll online". I hadn't thought about the prayer roll until my husband broke his leg a few months ago and my neighbors said that, "many people would be praying for" him because they put his name on the prayer roll. All those prayer roll memories came flooding back. That little box near the entrance of the dressing rooms where you could pause and write down all those people you wanted to pray for...I used to write names every single time I went to the temple. People I hoped would come back to church, get off of drugs, overcome their temptations, etc. I never stopped to consider - does writing names on a slip of paper and putting it on an altar and someone saying to bless all those people in that little white bag actually work? There is no way to measure it so the answer is unknown.

I do wonder - where is writing names on a paper and laying it on an altar scriptural? In my understanding - you crying out in prayer and your heart on the altar is the sacrifice that opens the heavens. Have we have strayed so far from Him that we believe this is part of the true order of prayer?

People I rarely remembered to pray for on a daily basis somehow were remembered and easily written down when I was at that booth. Never-mind that I did not think much about them again (until the next time I was at the prayer roll box). Yes, there were names I put on there that I did pray for semi-frequently. But by and large I put a lot of names on there that I didn't spend much time in prayer and fasting for on my own. Maybe you are different and that is a gift if that is the case. My experience in the church was that I was very much focused on the outward appearance and my inward vessel was often empty, though I didn't know it was empty and hollow at the time. It takes time to realize that you are a hypocrite. "Lord, is it I?" had to become my mantra before I could see rightly. And yes, it was I. I drew near unto Him with my lips but my heart was set upon the church and outward tangible things while the inward was left unattended to.

If you are still writing names on the prayer roll, I want to encourage you to instead spend an hour on your knees in your quiet place in prayer for this person. Fast for them. And do it again and again - fast and pray. See if this person you've been writing on the prayer roll for years has a shift. Ask God if He is still the God of miracles (Mormon 9:11) and then ask for one. We watched a movie about prayer that was so inspiring. It is called, "The War Room" and you can rent it on Amazon. I highly recommend as it can teach about things you may have never considered when it comes to prayer.

I was watching a documentary on India and did you know they have a temple entirely dedicated to rats? They feed the rats delicious fresh food and give them milk to drink. They believe the rats, known as "kabbas" or "little children" are sacred and are believed to be reincarnated descendants they must care for.

After watching this documentary I became frustrated primarily because I had just finished a documentary about Mother Theresa and saw the suffering of the people of India and how much opposition she faced trying to get the people of that country to help their own sick and dying. And yet - the rats, they are so important. Treat them well and your next life will be good. The beggar on the street...pffft - pass them by with no repercussions. I realized with shame that it was all too familiar to me.

Are we in the church doing the same? Packing multimillion dollar temples with patrons - encouraging them to do things for their "kabbas"/ancestors while the poor and the hungry are passed by? Must we have a $150+ billion dollars only to build more sanctuaries for the dead? And not even just build more - to give a facelift to the Provo, Ogden, St. George and other temples?

Can you imagine if the thousands who attend the Temple each day went to provide service to their community for that amount of time instead? What would the world be like with such an army of true Saints!! "But Ruth! People must get their salvation! If we don't do it they will go to a lower kingdom!"

Blasphemy. Salvation was purchased at Gesthemane and the Cross. We mock the atonement of Christ when we say that it is up to us to offer salvation for the dead. Joseph never taught this. You can look all you like and you won't find him teaching to do all this temple work for the dead.  

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.

33 And it came to pass that when Jesus had ended these sayings he said unto his disciples: Enter ye in at the strait gate; for strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it; but wide is the gate, and broad the way which leads to death, and many there be that travel therein, until the night cometh, wherein no man can work. (3 Nephi 27)

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7)

I got this from the Owl of the Desert blog: 

​The reason that faith is dwindling in the Church (among others) is because we have replaced the gospel of Jesus Christ with a neo-temple-theology. 

The problem, you see, with temple-theologies is that they are deleterious to a living faith. Remember the veil of the temple in Jerusalem that was rent in twain at Christ's death? Why have we stitched it back together with silver thread, placing it under lock-and-seal so that now we must depend upon those with priesthood "keys" rather than upon Christ?

Earlier this month in General Conference, President Nelson gave a talk titled, "Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys" (I wish I were making this up). Not "Rejoice in Jesus Christ" ― you know, as Nephi told us to (2 Nephi 25:26). Nope. Rejoice in the authority given unto men.

President Nelson said, "Priesthood keys give us the authority to extend all of the blessings promised to Abraham to every covenant-keeping man and woman.... Time in the temple will help you to think celestial and to catch a vision of who you really are, who you can become, and the kind of life you can have forever." (April 2024 General Conference).

Janey on Wheat and Tares said:

"Think Celestial? The hymn Have I Done Any Good in the World Today? admonishes us to 'wake up' and stop focusing on our celestial reward and instead to look at the chances to do good that are all around us in this world. In President Nelson’s talk 'Think Celestial!' there is not one word about reaching out to help other people."

A commenter on reddit wrote, "My parents are temple workers. They would rather spend time 'working' in the temple than spend time with their grandchildren. This is a fact."

A person responded, "Working in the temple is certainly a lot easier than dealing with the hungry, the naked, and the prisoners that Jesus mentioned."

We worship the God of the living! A temple-theology should not eclipse the telestial-work God has called us to do.

To paraphrase Jesus, "Let the dead baptize their dead" (Luke 9:60).*

Over 2,000 years ago Jesus taught of a New Commandment:

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Thanks to modern revelation, Sister Nelson 1:1 has taught a new type of commandment: that ye love President Nelson, as he deserves our love, that ye also follow and do what he says.

I am going to include a talk given by Sister Nelson in Europe about a year and a half ago. As you listen to this talk ask yourself, do you feel like you know Jesus Christ better? Does this talk help you to have more faith in Jesus? Or do you know President Nelson better and more faith in his goodness?

In this talk, she tells the story of the Emperor with no clothes. The big point of that fable is that no one but the child spoke the truth because everyone else was too busy stroking the Emperor’s ego. She then proceeds to stroke her husband’s ego for the entire talk. It is a day of deep sorrow when those in leadership declare that the naked emperor has clothes i.e. that a prophet who doesn't prophecy is a prophet. A seer who doesn't see is a seer. A revelator who doesn't reveal is revelator...

Sister Wendy Nelson 

LDS European region devotional 

1/23/22 

Video: https://youtu.be/78a8hQR0p3k

Okay, I just checked this link and it has been pulled down again. I don't know why they are pulling down this devotional and only allowing "summaries" to be posted by the church newsroom but nevertheless, so it is. If anyone here is tech savvy, could you post a link in the comments below? 

I will give the transcript of her talk here:

Our dear brothers and sisters of Europe, how we love you. From Sweden to Austria, from Romania to Whales, we have loved meeting with so many of you over the years. You are in our hearts forever. All the lands you Europe call to us, not just the ones we have visited nor only the lands of our ancestors, which for me includes Switzerland, Scotland, and England. Rather every land in this grand Europe area--which I'm told includes 48 countries--beckons us. No doubt it is because the blood of Israel is there. How grateful we are to be with Elder and Sister Bednar, whom we love.

Today I'd like to talk with you in Europe about truth and prophets. In the literary folktale The Emperor's New Clothes by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, swindlers convince the emperor that the new attire that they made for him is of the most exquisite pattern, material, and colors. They emphasize that anyone who cannot see the extraordinary clothing is unworthy of his office or simply stupid. Everyone is duped by the charlatans, even the emperor's most trusted officials. All the townspeople join in the chorus telling the emperor how magnificent he looks as he proudly parades in front of them. No one wants to be thought of as stupid. However, one child boldly proclaims, 'The emperor has no clothes on!'. And that was the truth.

Today it can be difficult to know who speaks the truth. But my testimony is that prophets of god always speak the truth. While many in the world's great and spacious building convincingly profess that evil is good and good is evil, prophets speak the truth. While many tout and even celebrate new approaches to and rationale for breaking god's commandments, prophets speak the truth.

One of the distinctive features of the savior's restored church is the presence of prophets. Today we sustain 15 men in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as prophets, seers, and revelators. We are blessed in this devotional to be taught by two of these prophets.

Prophets are called by the Lord to do difficult things, to speak unpopular things, not 'smooth things', as Isaiah wrote. The Lord's prophets can see things we can't see and can hear things that we cannot. The Lord speaks to his prophets, instructing them what to say and do that will bless and protect all of god's children. Therefore, as we choose to follow the prophets, we will be blessed spiritually and temporally.

The media, social and otherwise, is filled to overflowing with ideas that are contrary to the teachings of prophets. In fact, so much that is offered as truth is just silly, much like the emperor's new clothes. However, prophets help us discern specious notions as well as their intentions to trap us--trip us up--and basically wreck our lives.

So how can we protect ourselves amid the war of words that rages all around us? I suggest we compare anything and everything we read, view, or hear with the teachings of the prophets. If it isn't in harmony, we should run away. The question we can use as a litmus test to discern truth from error and to help us with a multitude of our personal dilemmas, decisions, and questions, is 'what do the prophets say?'.

Let's start there. Let's use prophetic words as our standard of truth. For this new year, let's put an exclamation mark after every statement from a prophet, and a question mark after everything else we read, see, or hear.

Would you like to try that with me for 30 days and see what happens to your heart and mind? You may notice a decrease in the amount of stress you feel as you're able to see through the false philosophies of men that produce a kind of tension and anxiety that can almost immobilize us. What would happen to your level of peace, clarity of thinking, joy, experience of love, and spiritual prosperity if, for 30 days, you started to question everything the world's media and all other sources offer you, and instead prayerfully study, fully embrace, and lived by every prophetic teaching you could find?

What would happen in only 30 days if you chose to follow the prophets with exactness? The prophets testify of Christ. Their sole desire is to help us find and stay on the covenant path that leads back to him and our Heavenly Father.

Now, if we had lived in the days of Nephi, we would have followed him. Not necessarily back to Jerusalem to retrieve the brass plates, but by doing whatever difficult thing the Lord asked us to do. If we had lived in the days of the prophet Abinadi, we would have followed him. Not necessarily into wicked king Noah's court, but by boldly speaking up about those things we know to be true.

And now, how will your life be blessed as you choose to follow president Russel M. Nelson, the prophet of god on the earth today? Who for four years has lead the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under the direction of Jesus Christ himself? I'm grateful that my husband is the kind of man who many years before he was called to be an apostle said, "I never ask myself, 'When does the prophet speak as a prophet and when does he not?' My interest has been, 'How can I be more like him?'".

As his wife, may I offer you many examples of President Nelson's life that you may want to emulate?

Number one, he is attentive and alert. Wherever we are, he is always leaning forward to listen to what is being said or sung. This is not to compensate for a hearing problem, he hears just fine. It is an issue with his heart. He wants to take in even more of what is being said. He wants to see, and to feel, more. Because of his attentiveness, it takes a long time for us to enter or exit an event.

Along with his eternal perspective, President Nelson seems to have a wide angle lens as well as a zoom lens on his eyes to see those in need. So as we exit a meeting large or small he will frequently say, "Who's in the wheelchair?", or, "We need to greet that young man." (usually one that looks out of place in a chapel). Or he'll tenderly say, "Oh, there's a little girl." He is irresistibly drawn to little children.

Number two: he is in awe of the laws of god. As he seeks to know and understand more of god's laws, he is in awe of them. And he honors god's laws by being obedient to them. He is enthused by the dependable connection between keeping god's laws and receiving god's blessings. As together my husband and I read from the Book of Mormon every day, we marvel at the many times the Lord's promise is repeated: "If ye keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land."

President Nelson thrills to think of the eternal laws that govern everything from galaxies to the human body. And he has always been eager to learn more. Decades ago, to help him in his professional work as a physician and a medical researcher, he worked tirelessly to discover the laws that govern the beating heart. He was inspired by the scripture, "There is a law irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated. And when we obtain any blessing from god, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."

So, are there blessings that the Lord has in store for you that would be yours if you lived certain laws of god with exactness?

Number three: President Nelson finds joy in serving others. For the first twelve years of our marriage, we lived at an elevation higher than Salt Lake City, and in the winter it snowed a lot. We often measured the accumulation by feet! I well remember the Sunday when a brother in our ward came ashen-faced to me and said, "Oh Sister Nelson, we're so embarrassed. We just learned that Elder Nelson does his own snow removal."

I thanked him for his concern and added with a grin, "If you really want to help him, clear the neighbor's walks." Because after each storm, my husband would bundle up and spend hours removing the snow from all the sidewalks in our neighborhood. Also, each Monday throughout the year after garbage pickup, he would roll each neighbor's large garbage bins from the road back up to their home. Some people had more than two bins! Some had long, sloping driveways. His simple but consistent neighborly gestures softened the heart of one woman who had spent decades showing, in word and in deed, that she was committed to not liking Latter-day Saints. Then, one Christmas, she left a loving note and a handmade item on our porch to thank him.

Number four: President Nelson knows that the Lord loves effort. Therefore, he requires it of himself and admires it in others. He admires those who pay the price to accomplish something difficult, including those who, due to chronic or life-threatening illnesses, have to work diligently with their health routine just to stay alive. Those who diligently search scriptures to their sincere questions. Those who vigorously work with the Lord and, when appropriate, their priesthood leaders to overcome weaknesses, increase their self-mastery, and truly repent of their sins so they can receive all the blessings god has for them. And he admires those who rigorously wrestle with a problem, generating possible solutions before approaching someone else for help.

President Nelson celebrates excellence and will often say, "I love watching an expert at work." When a service professional comes to our home, President Nelson cannot restrain himself from leaning into their field of operation to observe their work. While the plumber, electrician, or computer specialist may think President Nelson is adjudicating their work, he is actually celebrating their skills and efforts.

Number five: President Nelson never delays. He never puts off anything. I learned this early in our marriage when, as we would be drifting off to sleep, I would think of something I needed his help with, and softly mention it as something we might do on the weekend. "What's wrong with right now?" would be his enthusiastic response. And suddenly we would be in the garage, looking for a hammer and nail to hang a picture.

Therefore, it's no surprise to me that in the last four years, a multitude of important adjustments have been made to church policies and procedures. "What's wrong with now?" is his response when he knows that an adjustment in policy or procedure is the Lord's will. He often says, "I'm on call 24 hours a day with the Lord", and he is quick to respond to the Lord's instructions. Therefore, when people thank him for an adjustment that blessed their lives, he turns to me after they walk away and says, "I was only following instructions from the Lord. I do know how to follow instructions."

Oh, I could tell you so many more inspiring glimpses into President Nelson's heart, including his devotion to avoid contention. His joy as he includes his brethren in temple dedications. His respect for the power of words, which he carefully uses to love and lift others. And his insatiable focus on the future. He is always looking forward, and he is always looking up.

Now, where will following the prophets lead you? As you follow the prophets, your love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will grow, as will your desire to keep your covenants with them. Your ability to discern between what is true and what is not will increase. You will long to be in the temple more than ever before because you love whose house it is and who teaches you supernal truths there.

My dear brothers and sisters of Europe, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's church. It is called by his name because it is his church. Everything in his church belongs to Jesus Christ. Covenants and ordinances are his. Priesthood power is his power. And the prophets are his prophets. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

In this talk I can't help but see the leadership worship eclipsing even that of, well...

I ask you - did her talk nourish your soul? Did it fill that ache inside that longs for Jesus and for the Eternal? 

Did Emma ever speak this way of Joseph? Did Joseph ever paint himself as anything other than an imperfect man? How many times can we read D&C and find the lord chastening Joseph or other members? But do we ever hear of the apostles and prophets of our day being chastened by the Lord? All we are told is to never criticize them because that is "evil speaking of the Lord's anointed". Have we strayed so far from Him that we no longer know who "the Lord's Anointed" is?

Anyone that knows Jesus personally would never speak of a prophet in this way. They wouldn't speak of the prophet at all! Their gaze would be locked firm and steadfast on He who is the Author of Salvation.

No one that is a true prophet of God would allow someone to speak of them this way.

No one that has stood in the presence of their Lord and their God would allow anyone to call them good.

There is only one good and that is God. (Mark 10:18)

D&C 76:61 Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet.

Matthew 15: 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Matthew 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment.

Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Pray the Father, which is in heaven, will reveal Him unto you.  Those that seek the Lord with all their hearts WILL find Him. And to those that have found Him, as Evelyn Underhill has said, they don't find him because God loves them more...they find Him because those that earnestly seek Him, "loved and attended to Him more." 

Love and attend to Him more.

Imagine Jesus singing this song just to you:

Scott Matthew, "Annie's Song"

https://youtu.be/W31k8j2miZY?si=IjeZsSCVlK8eRzxK

I hear you...what is it you want?

I've been reading a book called, "The Lost Books of the Bible Great Rejected Texts". I didn't intend to read it but it's where I felt I needed to read at this time. Discernment definitely has to be at the forefront of reading things like this. It started with the book, "The First Book of Adam and Eve" and a few things that struck me were how intensely Adam and Eve wanted to get back into the Garden. Adam lamented their expulsion constantly. Regret filled him continually. He begged night and day.

In order to build the point of this post it will require that I take you into that book a fair bit, so bear with me. Because the Temple endowment plays the Adam and Eve story we tend to tune it out over time. But it's all there - it's THE story!

In the book it says: "Adam and Eve went in search of the garden...Then Adam said to God, "I dry up in the heat, I am faint from walking, and I don't want to be in this world. And I don't know when You will let me rest and take me out of it.""

Then it says, "Satan, the hater of all that is good, saw how they continued in prayer, and how God communed with them, and comforted them, and how He had accepted their offering. Then Satan made a phantasm. 

He began by transforming his hosts. In his hands was a shining, glimmering fire, and they were in a huge light. Then he placed his throne near the mouth of the cave (where Adam and Eve lived), because he could not enter it due to their prayers......Satan did this so that when Adam saw the light he would think to himself that it was a heavenly light and that Satan's hosts were angels and that God had sent them to watch at the cave and give him light in the darkness.....When therefore, Adam and Eve saw the light, thinking it was real, they strengthened their hearts. Then, as they were trembling, Adam said to Eve: "Look at that great light, and at those many songs of praise, and at those host standing outside who won't come into our cave. Why don't they tell us what they want or where they are from or what the meaning of this light is or what those praises are or why they have been sent to this place, and why they won't come in? If they were from God, they would come into the cave with us and would tell us why they were sent." Then Adam stood up and prayed to God with a burning heart and said: "Oh Lord, is there in the world another god besides You who created angels and filled them with light and sent them to keep us, who would come with them? But look, we see these hosts that stand at the mouth of the cave. They are in a great light and they sing loud praises. If they are of some other god(s) than You, tell me, and if they are sent by you, inform me of the reason for which you have sent them." (SUPER cool that Adam asked God to interpret things for him..amazing. AMAZING response. But in the book we see that he doesn't always ask God to interpret for him and then he falls into deception again and again. Learn from Adam - ask for the Lord to interpret things for you. And then WAIT. So often we don't wait upon the Lord.)

Then God sent an Angel to answer Adam's prayer and the Angel said, "Oh Adam, fear not. This is Satan and his hosts. He wishes to deceive you as he deceived you at first. For the first time, he was hidden in the serpent, but this time he is come to you in the likeness of an angel of light in order that, when you worshipped him, he might enslave you in the very presence of God."

Then the Angel goes and exposes Satan to Adam and Eve. "And the angel said to Adam, "This hideous form has been his ever since God made him fall from heaven. He could not have come near you in it. Therefore, he transformed himself into an angel of light." Then the angel drove Satan and his hosts away from Adam and Eve and said to them, "Fear not. God who created you will strengthen you." And the angel left them but Adam and Eve remained in the cave and no consolation came to them as they were divided in their thoughts. (important!!! The Angel told them to not fear. Fear invites in the adversary. "Fear" is Faith in Satan. "Trust" is Faith in God! It says that Adam and Eve remained "in the cave" which is symbolic of not ascending in prayer...and because they didn't continue in prayer - "no consolation came to them" and they were "divided in their thoughts" - Satan works through division. That is why God wants us to be of one heart and one mind. PRAY.)

And when it was morning they prayed and then went out to seek the garden, for their hearts were seeking it, and they could get no consolation for having left it. But when the crafty Satan saw that they were going to the garden he gathered together his host and came in appearance on a cloud, intent on deceiving them. But when Adam and Eve saw him in a vision, they thought they were angels of God come to comfort them about having left the garden, or to bring them back again into it. And Adam spread his hands before God, begged Him to make him understand what they were. Then Satan, the hater of all good, said to Adam, "O Adam, I am an angel of the great God; and, behold the hosts that surround me. God has sent us to take you and bring you to the border of the garden northwards; to the shore of the clear sea, and bathe you and Eve in it, and raise you to your former gladness, that you return again to the garden. (Satan could see what their hearts were set upon and that they had no consolation. Now he knows exactly what to target. He was offering them a baptism...that is interesting. It would have been a dark baptism had it gone to completion). 

"These words sank into *the heart* of Adam and Eve. Yet God withheld His Word from Adam, and did not make him understand at once, but waited to see his strength; whether he would be overcome as Eve was when in the garden, or whether he would prevail. Then Satan called to Adam and Eve, and said, "Behold, we go to the sea of water," and they began to go. And Adam and Eve followed them at some little distance. But when they came to the mountain to the north of the garden, a very high mountain, without any steps to the top of it, the Devil drew near to Adam and Eve, and made them go up to the top in reality, and not in a vision; wishing, as he did, to throw them down and kill them, and to wipe off their name from the earth; so that this earth should remain to him and his hosts alone." (God withholds His word from us from time to time - to test our strength. This is a good thing. By this point the Lord had already taught Adam and Eve everything they needed to know to overcome Satan in this moment so now it was important to let things play out so Adam can learn). 

[Then God has to intervene because Satan is going to kill them and so God curses Satan and Adam and Eve are left atop the mountain seeing clearly and they plead for forgiveness.]

"Then the Word of God came to Adam, and said to him, "You must know and understand concerning this Satan, that he seeks to deceive you and your descendants after you."" (This is one reason why I write - to help bring understanding to the deception that will come to you and your descendants.)

Here is what stood out to me in those passages I shared (and in the book overall). Adam had a big desire and it was to get back to the Garden - get back to comfort when things were in their fullness. It doesn't say he was longing to get back to the Lord and for their connection. Adam wanted the good life to return. In this book of Adam and Eve you watch Adam go on a journey to where he finally has to desire God above all else before he can find true comfort. And in this version of the Adam and Eve story - Satan deceives Adam and Eve SO many times. I love this painting of Micheleaneglo's, "The Creation of Adam" and the passivity of Adam's reach in comparison to God's outstretched arm. God is SO GOOD to us.

Why was Satan so successful in deceiving Adam and Eve and their posterity?

1. He continually changed tactics and appeared in many different forms. He never rested once.
2. He preyed upon the desires of their heart...and their desires weren't always the Lord so that made them easier to break down.

Whether we understand it or not - we are surrounded by a spirit world and the evil spirits have one aim - to lead you carefully down to hell (2 Nephi 28). And those spirits will direct their subtleties at your weaknesses in order that they may get you into bondage to them. 

Weakness is not sin. We are told in Ether 12: 

27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

If you don't ask the Lord to help your weak things become strong, then you will suffer. Taking time to go to the Lord in prayer and asking Him to help you identify your weaknesses is a key component in the path to spiritual growth. Yes, there are the easy weaknesses to identify like a sharp tongue or gluttony or slothfulness. But the weaknesses I am suggesting you to seek out (with the Lord's help) are the ones that can lead you to spiritual decay, sickness, apathy, misdirection, distraction, and deception.

Our weaknesses often have a spirit attached to them. Some people call them, "agreements" that we have made. Here's an example of an unholy agreement. Let's say that you're a little child waiting to be picked up from school and all the other kids are getting picked up and one by one they leave until you are the only one left. Fear enters your mind and you hear, "They forgot to pick you up because you are unimportant and they don't care about you." Then, in that state of fear, you agree with that suggestion and then begins the first binding of the chord of agreement. A little while later you are overlooked or forgotten again and you hear, "You are unimportant," and you agree with that suggestion and another chord strengthens its grip on your heart and mind. These kinds of experiences go on and on throughout your life until you have a firm binding in the belief that you are "unimportant" (or fill in the blank on the dark agreement you have come into alignment with). Once the binding is strengthened then Satan has but to give a slight tug in a friendship where there was miscommunication or slight pull in a marriage where there was a blunder and you are no longer your current age but have reverted back to that unconscious little 6 year old waiting to be picked up and you are easy to control and manipulate.

So those agreements become 'weaknesses' and they need to be handed over to the Lord to make those weak things become strong so the bindings can be broken. This can only happen through communion with the Lord in prayer. Ask Him to teach you how to break those agreements. If not, people will come into your life and they can more easily deceive you because what they offer you appears to fill your longing for, "The Garden" and they will appear to have the very thing you are looking for. 

Another important reason to identify your weaknesses are that if your heart is not set upon the Lord and His will then it opens the door for Satan or a Demon to answer your prayers. They can recite scripture to calm your fears. They can appear as light just at that moment you were longing for the garden. They can...and they will. 

As you take this journey - check your heart. Is it an eye single to the Lord, or is your heart on Zion, or a prophet, or a group of people, or a future servant to come? Is it on financial security, "social" security, avoiding discomfort, the Temple, the church, etc.? 

If there is one thing I am learning, these weaknesses throw us out of alignment with the Lord...yes...even when (and perhaps especially when) we are pouring our hearts out to God ("Oh God, hear the words of my mouth!!!!!!"). This misalignment then opens the door for another "being" to say, "I hear you, what is it you want?" And if you don't want the Lord and His Righteousness and His Kingdom....if you don't know the difference between the Lord and a dark "being", you will be deceived. I know first hand. I have had those experiences more than once. I write in the hopes that you won't have to suffer in the ways I have done because I was not properly aligned in my desire for the Lord.

When people are trying to identify counterfeit money they surprisingly don't study the counterfeit money because the designs are endless. So what do they study? They study the real money so that when something counterfeit appears - they spot it. They know, so intimately, the real money that it's easier to spot the deception.

Study the Real Thing. Seek only Him. In prayer, give the Lord your longing for 'the garden' and let Him take care of it. For many on this path they are chasing their second comforter or angels or visions or dreams or (fill in the blank). Satan WILL step in to answer the longing of your heart. Ask the Lord to help you replace that longing with seeking first His Kingdom and His Righteousness and it WILL be ADDED to you! (Matthew 6:33) Nothing is lost that we give to Him. A.W. Tozer said it well when he prayed: 

Father, I want to know Thee, but my coward heart fears to give up its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding, and I do not try to hide from Thee the terror of the parting. I come trembling, but I do come. Please root from my heart all those things which I have cherished so long and which have become a very part of my living self, so that Thou mayest enter and dwell there without a rival. Then shalt Thou make the place of Thy feet glorious. Then shall my heart have no need of the sun to shine in it, for Thyself wilt be the light of it, and there shall be no night there. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

This song below is to honor my late friend who passed away this summer. Jesus' name was the most common word she uttered and she was one of the greatest women of my acquaintance. Heaven is roaring with thunder to have her back. She will do much good on the other side for the battle ahead. This was her favorite song and she was a lover of the Old Testament. Don't listen to this unless you have time to just soak it up. It is in Hebrew, English, and then Arabic. They have all converted to Jesus and the Muslim's voices are like their call to prayer but now it is used to glorify JESUS!! It brought tears to my eyes. The Muslims have the most to risk when they convert to Jesus. God bless ALL your children to awake and arise!!!! 

You Are My All In All

by

One For Israel

https://youtu.be/-NE30Gvr6Vk?si=CvIaUVsTZiFn1n8k

HOLD FAST

I went to a wedding last weekend. The Temple location was hot enough to fry an egg in the shell. Since we couldn't be a part of the sealing because we turned in our temple recommends a few years ago - we waited outside for the couple and families to exit from the sealing.

But Lo! What's this? A nearby Temple visitors center?! Our little family hastened with hastening of hastes to enter therein. Ah....a blast of air conditioning hit our faces as we naively stumbled inside for relief. I quickly learned that sometimes it's better to suffer physical discomfort than to endure spiritual turmoil.

Nevertheless, the Lord met me in my oversight and I gained a slice of wisdom I was seeking after and now I need to record it so I don't forget.

Also...Thank you for being a part of this journey with me. It's brutal. I don't know who reads this blog but the statistics show that a little number of people are reading it. So thank you for letting me vent and rant and being patient with my growth (or lack of growth).

As we entered the building a beautiful sister missionary was right at the door to greet us. We hadn't even been able to all set foot inside before she began to open her mouth for a speech. I quickly interrupted her and said we needed a bathroom - which was true. She pointed the way and we all appreciated the clean and orderly way the church keeps their restrooms.

When we came back there were plenty of benches surrounding a Christus statue. We all began to attempt to sit down when another sister missionary swooped in to ask us if we wanted to hear a short message over the intercom that pertained to the Christus statue. Were missionaries always this aggressive attentive? As I sat down I knew I didn't want to hear it. I was tired. I wanted silence and cold air. I came in for that. But oh that sweet sister missionary's face.

Flashbacks of my mission to Tokyo danced across my memory. A simple "yes" would make her day. Or make that moment better, at the very least.

"Sure," I said. I visibly watched the dopamine hit her brain as a big smile spread across her face. She pushed the button and a familiar pre-recorded voice said, "I am Jesus Christ...I created the heavens and the earth...". My mind was no longer in the room but was whisked away in memory of me watching the temple endowment video for the hundredth time. My heart sank as I stared at that marble face of the Christ statue looking down at me with cold indifference and the pre-recorded words that only further widened the gap between me and Him. I didn't want my children to know this "Jesus Christ" that the church was serving up in a pristine package. This is not the Jesus I know. This is not the Jesus I have worked tirelessly to help my children to experience. Sitting there in that moment I realized how long I have been away from the church. In the past this visitor's center experience would have delighted me and I would have looked at my children with joy to see them experiencing this beautiful moment. But now I had a giant knot in my stomach and the mother bear in me had my hair standing on end and claws out in defense of their hearts and minds. 

The recording ended and I found myself staring at the marble feet contemplating my next move. "Did you think of a word that describes what Jesus means to you?" the sister asked. I had forgotten she asked us to think of a word. Our eyes all darted to the ceiling trying to think of a word to apease her question. I told her there was no word to describe what Jesus means to me. He is the Alpha and the Omega - the Beginning and the End. She opened her scriptures to begin teaching and my mind trailed off again.

This post will take you through some of my thoughts that went through my mind last weekend as I watched one of the most beautiful couples share in their love for each other. Watched their joining families celebrate them and celebrate love. For some reason we were thoughtfully given the best seat in the house - right up front where nothing could be missed. We soaked it all in - all of our kids were in awe of their love story, in awe of each family's musical talent and excellent humor when a mic was placed in their hands and they were given free reign to roast the sibling who's special day it was.

"Ruth - your children will never have this. They're screwed. You screwed everything up. They will never have this love. Never have this marriage. Never have a family like this. If only you had stayed in the church. If only you had stayed. They could still be going. They could find a member of the church to marry and have the kind of marriage this couple will have. That you and Ryan have - because you both were in the church and found each other through the church. Now you've pulled your kids away. They will never have this. Why did you do this? Why did you do this to these sweet children? You've ruined everything for them. Everything."

Imagine having that wash over you as you sit at a table fit for a king with lavish flowers and gorgeous place settings - a feast of food in front of you and jesters and musicians enhancing every moment. To top it off you're sharing it with the ones you love most in all the world.

Tears gushed out as I felt the weight of the whispers in my ear of failure. 

I whispered a prayer..."Help me Lord. Meet me here in this, Jesus."

And then - a vision from a movie we watched a long time ago:

From the outside looking in I can see people saying, "Ruth! You're so prideful! Go back to church! Get back to the Temple! That's the spirit telling you to get back to the church!!"

But I'm not after the church. I'm not after a prophet to lead and guide me. I'm after Him...Jesus. The King of Kings. The Lord of Lords. And I've found Him. And I want more of Him. And He fills my cup and leaves it overflowing.

Hold Fast.

After the wedding I whined talked to the Lord a fair bit about my heart and my sadness. This was the return conversation that came back to me:

"If you went to church there would be no guarantee that your children would find a healthy match like this. This is indeed a special match. Each of your children's lives will look very different from each other. Your job is to teach them to look to Me and I will do the rest. Give them to Me."

"But Lord..."

"Ruth...it's time to stop whining. You received your answer to teach your children at home. When you doubt My goodness you will experience the Garden of Eden where My Goodness was questioned. When they doubted My Goodness they reached for what was forbidden and lost My Presence. Sarah and Abraham doubted My Goodness and they reached for Hagar.

"You can continue to doubt My Goodness. However, this doubt can lead you to reach for the forbidden which will produce an unworthy sacrifice. Cain offered an unworthy sacrifice because it was easier for him. In the end - a blood sacrifice was offered and it was the sacrifice of another life. Don't sacrifice another's life through the seemingly easier sacrifice made out of fear. Trust Me. Wait on Me. And even if, in the end, things look like they went the worst possible way - Trust Me. Hold Fast!"

Time to stop whining...That's a big ask. I am a big whiner. I've never admitted that out loud - or publicly. I don't let my kids whine for a second. Even the dog gets sent to his crate if a whine escapes his throat. I can't stand whining. I think I have an overly sensitive nervous system because whining grates on me like no other.

And yet...in conversation with the Lord I whine...Sariah's got nothing on me...And I'd missed it...

Everyone is at a different place in their journey in their return from the fall. We must each seek to pass through the cherubim and flaming sword to be able to enter back into His Presence. What that flaming sword is for you will be different from another. It is customized just to you and is single file. I have come to learn that there are many flaming swords we are asked to pass through on our return journey to the Father. I thought it was a "one and done" kinda thing. And in some respects, it is. But there are rungs on a ladder and layers to an onion and steps in ascension. Line upon line. Precept upon precept. Here a little and there a little. It felt freeing to "give up whining". Until that moment I didn't know that was the spirit's name that had a dark hook in my heart and mind. But when I said I was done whining - I felt the Breath of Heaven blow life into my heart.

I trust you Jesus. Please bring sanctification to our relationship. Please bless it and bring Your Cross and Your Blood over our journey together. Satan will try to get me here. Please, seal my heart unto You. Make me Yours forever. Fight for me. And help me to fight for You. The coming days and years are going to make me doubt Your Goodness. Don't let the enemy gain ground here. I declare I am Yours and my heart is Yours and I ask you to rebuke the enemy on my behalf.

Please, reader - pray over your relationship with Jesus. The enemy will get you to doubt His Goodness. Doubt the Father. Doubt your ability to hear the Holy Spirit. Pray over it - today. Bring it under His Authority, Rule and Reign. We all need it for what is coming.

Being at the Temple made me sick. All that money. We did end up leaving the visitors center. I couldn't sit there for one more second. We went inside the temple and found a small empty waiting room. The couch I was sitting on was probably $5,000-10,000 dollars and there were five or six of them in the room. It was a customized couch that harkened to the pioneers. As we gazed at the architecture Ryan said, "These light fixtures are like the ones in the dream I had." 

When we first "woke up" years ago Ryan had a dream. In the dream he was outside and there was about a 10 foot wall that was in front of him. It was changing material from rough stone which transformed into rough wood which then transformed into ornately carved wood and stone.

He climbed up to look over the wall and looked down to see a temple room with no ceiling with patrons and the furniture and fixtures were of the pioneer era and so were the people. Then he saw the Salt Lake Temple afar off and he went to it. When he entered the doors he was surprised to see that it was a shopping mall! People were going in and out of shops and he was confused as he looked around for me. A man in white stood at the entrance of a storefront and said, "For those that know what I am talking about - we're about to begin." Ryan entered the door and it was a white room with a recommend desk but no one was at the desk. Ryan passed through and got ready and went to the elevator. A woman at the elevator said, "You're a little late." Ryan responded, "I didn't know I was going to be here at all." He didn't want to leave without me but finally decided maybe I had already entered and so he decided to get on the elevator. As he stood in the elevator there was a mirror which showed he was dressed in white with a blue apron on. He had on a bowtie that was loose and dangling. He worked and worked to get it to be perfect but it would not. He thought to himself, "I look unusual with the bowtie like this but it's not inappropriate." Then the elevator descended downward and he woke up.

My interpretation of that dream was that the church initially was out in the open and roughly/newly hewn but over time it became more complicated/ornate and moved to SLC. Once Ryan went inside the temple it revealed it had sold itself for money. The man in white could represent an angel calling to those who had ears to hear. There was no one at the recommend desk because your worthiness isn't determined by a piece of paper or a person to double check that paper. The woman who told Ryan he was late helped reveal where Ryan's heart was at - he didn't know he was going to end up on this path. Ryan expressed that throughout the dream he was looking for me and trying to meet up with me. But the path back to the Tree of Life is single file - admit one. When he saw his reflection his apron was blue which represents priesthood. His tie annoyed him because he couldn't get it the way he wanted it. That is the flesh - we will never be picture perfect but we can be acceptable. His elevator went down instead of up because the path back to the Tree of Life requires a decent and life will get harder before it gets better.

I didn't intend to share that dream but I remembered he said that as I was reviewing the trip. Hopefully it was helpful.

And lastly - I love the author and psychologist M. Scott Peck. In the book, "The Road Less Traveled" the author shared an experience during his adolescence when he was attending Exeter - one of the top private schools in the U.S.. His family had gone to that school and now it was his turn. And he hated it. He fell into deep depression and contemplated suicide. Everything in him told him that he was in the wrong place. After two years of intensive suffering he felt to tell his parents he couldn't do it anymore. They disagreed with is decision to leave. Scott decided to talk to three people at the school before making his final decision. I will share what he wrote of that experience. I share it because the Lord led me to it with precision timing after the wedding. This passage can be likened to the church experience.

"Death is the ultimate emptiness. We are terrified of the void of death even if we believe we will come out the other side. Yet we don't know what the other side will be like.

There are many varieties of emptiness, but the most important (and the easiest to speak about without getting to mystical) is the "emptiness of not knowing." Despite living in a society that appears to push a "know-it-all" mentality and label incompetent those who don't always seem to be in the know, we still have a choice to not know without feeling inocmpetent or guilty about it. In fact, there are times in each of our lives when it is not only proper but healing to give up thinking we know all the answers.

The most healing experience of my adolescence was a gift by a man who related to me out of the emptiness of not knowing, and who served as a wonderfully positive role model to boot. As i look back on that turning point in my life (when he felt to leave the Private school), I am amazed at the grace that gave me the courage to do it. After all, not only was I dropping out of a prestigious prep school against my parents' wishes, but I was walking away from a golden WASP track that had all been laid out for me. Hardly aware at that age just what I was doing, I was taking my first giant step out of my entire culture. That culture of the "establishment" was what one was supposed to aspire to, and I was throwing it away. And where was I to go? I was forging into the total unknown. I was so terrified that I thought I should seek the advice of faculty before finalizing such a dreadful decision. But which of the faculty?

The first who came to mind was my adviser. He had barely spoken to me for two and a half years, but he was reputedly kind. A second obvious candidate was the crusty old dean of the school, known to be beloved by thousands of alumni. But I thought that three was a good number, and the third choice was more difficult. I finally hit upon Mr. Lynch, my math teacher and a somewhat younger man. I chose him not because we had any relationship or because he seemed to be a particularly warm sort of person - indeed, I found him a rather cold, mathematical kind of fish - but because he had a reputation as the faculty genius. He had been involved with some kind of high-level mathematics on the Manhattan Project, and I thought I should check out my decision with a "genius."

I went first to my kindly adviser, who let me talk for about two minutes and then gently broke in. "It's true that you're underachieving here at Exeter, Scotty," he said, "but not so seriously that you won't be able to graduate. It would be preferable for you to graduate from a school like Exeter with lessser grades than from a lesser school with better grades. It would also look bad on your record to switch horses in midstream. Besides, I'm sure your parents would be quite upset. So why don't you just go along and do the best you can?"

Next I went to the crusty old dean. He let me speak for thirty seconds. "Exeter is the best school in the world," he harrumphed. "Damn fool thing you're thinking of doing. Now you just pull yourself up by the bootstraps, young man!"

Feeling worse and worse, I went to see Mr. Lynch. He let me talk myself out. It took about five minutes. Then he said he didn't yet understand and asked if I would just talk some more - about Exeter, about my family, about God (he actually gave me permission to talk about God!), about anything that came into my head. So I rambled on for another ten minutes - fifteen minutes in all, which was pretty good for a depressed, inarticulate fifteen-year-old. When I was done, he inquired whether I would mind if he asked me some questions. Thriving on this adult attention, I replied, "Of course not," and he queried me about many different things for the next half-hour.

Finally, after fourty-five minutes in all, this supposedly cold fish sat back in his chair with a pained expression on his face and said, "I'm sorry. I can't help you. I don't have any advice to give you. You know," he continued, "it's impossible for one person to ever completely put himself in another person's shoes. But insofar as I can put myself in your shoes - and I'm glad I'm not there - I don't know what I would do if I were you. So, you see, I don't know how to advise you. I'm sorry that I've been unable to help."

It's just possible that man saved my life. For when I entered Mr. Lynch's office that morning some forty-five years ago, I was close to suicidal. And when I left, I felt as if a thousand pounds had been taken off my back. Because if a genius didn't know what to do, then it was all right for me not to know what to do. And if I was considering a move that seemed so insane in the world's terms, and a genius couldn't tell me what it was clearly, obviously demented - well, then, maybe, just maybe, it was something God was calling me to do.

....

There are no simple or easy formulas. In handling all life experiences, we must endure a degree of emptiness and the agony of not knowing. Although there is no certain formula, there is a guideline to help in such decision making. It is to recognize tha tthe unconscious is always one step ahead of the conscious mind. The problem is we don't know whether it's ahead in the right direction of the wrong direction. We don't always know if that still small voice we hear is the voice of the Holy Spirit, or Satan, or maybe just our glands. It is, therefore, impossible ever to know that what we are doing is right at the time, since knowing is a function of consciousness.

However, if your will is steadfastly to the good and if you are willing to suffer fully when the good seems ambiguous (which to me seems about 98.7 percent of the time), then your unconscious will always be one step ahead of your conscious mind in the right direction. In other words, you will do the right thing. But you won't have the luxury of knowing it at the time you are doing it. Indeed, you will do the right thing precisely because you've been willing to forgo that luxury. And if this guideline seems obscure, then you might want to remember that almost all of the evil in this world is committed by people who are absolutely certain that they know what they are doing."

HOLD FAST.

The Devil In The Details

I've always been interested in Paul's writings on charity in 1 Corinthians 13. I've often seen framed quotes of that scripture in peoples homes and I've just as frequently seen it re-worded to exclude the word, "charity" and instead replace it with the word, "love". 

This scripture hasn't made much sense to me whether it said "charity" or whether it's simplified to say, "love". Let's look at what I mean in verse 3 where things start to go sideways for me:

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

For me to give all my goods to feed the poor and to give my body to be burned I would have to be in possession of love and charity. I could be wrong though. But either way, you catch my drift.

What is charity to me? It is this:

To do the Lord's will.

Here is how I get there:

Charity is the highest form of Love. So it is good to ask, "Well...what is the highest form of Love?" Lucky for us, Jesus answered that question when the pharisees asked Him what the greatest of all the commandments were (Matthew 22). He answered:

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

So, the first and greatest commandment - the greatest form of love and the highest thing we can do on which hang all things is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. What does that mean in translation?

You seek His will and do His will in all things. 

That is the greatest and highest love that we can do. And the second is like unto it (but it is not it)...to love your neighbor as you love yourself. 

With this new information, let's rewrite the scripture to this translation: 

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and don't do the Lord's will, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and I don't do the Lord's will, I am nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and though I build hundreds of multimillion dollar temples, and though I am in the Temple day and night, and though I do my ministering (sorry, I couldn't help myself), if I don't do the Lord's will, it profiteth me nothing.

4 Doing the Lord's will means you will suffer long, doing the Lord's will is kind; doing the Lord's will cease the envy; doing the Lord's will means you won't vaunt or be puffed up,

5 Doing the Lord's will means you'll stop behaving unseemly, you will stop seeking your own, you'll stop being easily provoked, you'll stop thinking evil things;

6 Doing the Lord's will means you will won't rejoice in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7 When you do the Lord's will you will beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Doing the Lord's will never fails: but whether there be prophecies (outside of the Lord's will), they shall fail; whether there be tongues (of your own creation), they shall cease; whether there be knowledge (outside of what the Lord has given you), it shall vanish away.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part when we don't do the Lord's will.

10 But when a people are perfect at doing the Lord's will, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man and sought and did the Lord's will, I put away childish things.

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13 And now abideth faith, hope, and doing the Lord's will, these three; but the greatest of these is to do the Lord's will.

Now let us discuss the Devil in the Details...

The Second Commandment

So here's the problem we all run into. If we grow up thinking that "charity" means "love" and that we need to "love" everyone and that "loving everyone" means we place their will above our own, then things descend into chaos rapidly. The church promotes this kind of "love" over seeking the Lord's will to know what to do and it's wearing out the members faster than a pair of running shoes on a marathon-er. See this video here of an LDS single mother running herself ragged for other people as an example. It makes me so sad I cry when I watch it.  

One of the first problems with loving your neighbor as yourself is that if you do that above all else then you have a world full of people that have wildly different ideas of what "love" looks like. Years ago I was thoroughly criticized by someone who said that I fed my kids "too healthy" and "limited their sugar too much" and" put them to bed too early" and that my kids weren't being allowed to just "live more freely". The criticism caught me off guard. I knew they were annoyed with me but I didn't expect that to be the problem. Were this person to love me or my children as they loved themselves - there would be few rules and excesses of inflammatory foods that fog the brain and pain the digestion. There would be late nights and even later mornings and an overall feeling of lethargy, depression, and sadness. How do I know? Because that's how they live their life. That is how they view "loving their kids" and loving themselves and they are exhausted.

BUT...

...if we obeyed the first great commandment - to Love God with all that we have and all that we are and we ask Him how to handle a situation (or not handle a situation) or how to approach an issue (or not approach an issue).

So often in Christianity we believe loving our neighbor means that we need to have "charity" and just do what they want rather than what God says to do. This can make things very messy. We may believe that to be a "good Christian" or a "good Mormon" I should let them walk all over me or give them everything I have or put up with abusive or toxic people or giving to the point that it is destructive to our soul and so on and so forth (see the earlier video from the church). When we live life this way then we end up running dry. Because, as Paul so beautifully put it - if we do these things and it isn't the Lord's will - it profits us nothing.

Wait?! Nothing?!!

What "profiting nothing" means is that if you aren't living in sync with the Lord then you are doing your own will. You are doing what you think would be a good idea and that can get messy because you (and me) are imperfect.

When you start to feel like you're running on fumes, it can be a good signal to stop and see if you are in alignment with the Lord's will. Because when you are in alignment you shall run and not be weary, and walk and not faint (Isaiah 40).

Now that I've tried to establish the case for "charity" meaning "to do the Lord's will" I will tell you why we as a people are in a major bind at this, the end of times. We see all kinds of trouble in society...things that make us worried and fearful for the future of the countries of the world. Governments seem to be ripening with corruption and masses of people seem to be either willfully sleeping or actively choosing evil. There is a reason for this and it all goes back to those first two commandments. And here it is:

We, as a society, have embraced the second commandment and made it our first commandment.

We have placed at the pinnacle, "loving our neighbor as ourselves" and then God takes the backseat or no seat at all. This elevation of the neighbor over God is an abomination and will lead to the destruction all societies who employ it's devilish entrapments. When you stop putting God first and seeking His will and instead seek your own will or your collective neighbors will - we see the collapse of society.

This must not be.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6).

Seek ye first your neighbors happiness? Then all the things you value will be taken from you.

There is a reason for the structure to place God at the pinnacle and your neighbor and yourself one step lower. If I seek God's will then it means I may have to do things I don't want to do but are the right thing to do. Jesus was the ultimate example of this. I am sure he wanted to obey Mary and Martha to come quickly and heal Lazarus. But He sought first the Father's will and His Father's will was to wait. And in the waiting - the raising from the dead. An even greater joy and triumph over death and hell. How often did Jesus seek only the Father's will in all things? Always. This meant Jesus often did things in a way that we wouldn't have done. Because we would have done it "our way" and screwed up the higher plan. How do I know that? Because the world is proficient at it (myself included).

Jesus whole life was one choice after another of seeking and doing the Lord's will - in all things. That is perfection. We are commanded to be perfect (Matthew 5:48) and it is achievable, in time. Not through white nuckling it - but through seeking and doing the Lord's will. When you do what the Lord asks you to do, you are in perfect alignment with Him - you are perfect. You are whole. It is the quest of a lifetime and you will make mistakes but try and try again.

Don't make the mistake, like I have so many times, of putting your neighbor in God's place. It has led me to much heartache and wandering down strange roads. I have learned that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Take His yoke upon you and learn of Him. For He is meek and lowly in heart and when you do this - you will find rest to your soul. 

David Foster Wallace: 

"Because here’s something else that’s true. In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And an outstanding reason for choosing...God ...is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things-if they are where you tap real meaning in life-then you will never have enough. Never feel you have enough. It’s the truth.

Worship your own body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly, and when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally plant you. On one level, we all know this stuff already-it’s been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, bromides, epigrams, parables: the skeleton of every great story. The trick is keeping the truth up-front in daily consciousness. Worship power-you will feel weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to keep the fear at bay. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart-you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. And so on."

Lord, bless Your children to Love You with all their heart, soul, and mind. And bless us to love our neighbors as ourselves once we learn how to Love You. 

After The Love Has Gone

by

Earth, Wind, and Fire

https://youtu.be/yw-em78BCRw?si=d09yO6wz6CPi8kV8