NGC 4639

This is a recent picture taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of NGC 4639. It is approximately 72 million light years from earth. Keep in mind, one light year is the equivalent of 5.8 trillion miles. It is 72 million times 5.8 trillion miles from earth!! That’s beyond the human brain to even comprehend that distance.

This is just one galaxy in the “Virgo” cluster of 1500 other galaxies. Within our galaxy alone it's estimated that there are somewhere between 200 - 300 billion stars.

Isn’t it mind boggling? You can imagine why Moses said, “Now, for this cause, I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed.”

It also reminds of me D&C 88:37 “There are many kingdoms; for there is no space in the which there is no kingdom; and there is no kingdom in which there is no space, either a greater or a lesser kingdom.”

The vastness of the creations are amazing. When we look up at the night sky, many feel a yearning, a pull to something higher. It’s a pull inside many people that makes us feel as if we are a part of something great. It’s as if the seed is inside of us, waiting to sprout!

Beware of Boasting

There are many reasons in today’s culture and society in which we may boast of our own strength or be proud of our accomplishments. Our society is competitive in nature and there is a hierarchal structure. This lends itself to a culture where it becomes easier to boast.

What might we boast about? Money, job title, status, home, car, academic accomplishments, sports achievements, a calling in the church, worldly or even spiritual “success”, and so on.

Here are a few thoughts from the scriptures with my commentary:

Alma 45:24

“But they grew proud, being lifted up in their hearts because of their exceeding riches. Therefore, they grew rich in their own eyes and would not give heed to their [prophets] to walk uprightly before God.”

The people forgot the Lord when they became “independent” because of their money. Money can be an incredible tool for good and can be a great blessing, but it can also draw people away to pride and boasting because there is a perception that they can “do it on their own.”

Mormon goes on to make an important note about the people and this cycle in Alma 46:8 (remember that Mormon has been through many manuscripts and documents, he sees the Nephite history from a unique perspective. During his lifetime, he’s seen the culminating effect of this trend):

“Thus we see how quick the children of men do forget the Lord their God, yea, how quick to do iniquity, and to be led away by the evil one.”

Let’s look at the pattern, the before/after effects of boasting:

Mosiah 11:19

“Because of this great victory they [the people of King Noah] were lifted up in the pride of their hearts; they did boast in their own strength, saying that fifty could stand against thousands of Lamanites.”

What was the result? The Lord left them to their own devices and they suffered for years at the hands of the Lamanites

Helaman 4:13

“And because of this their [Nephites in 30 B.C.] great boasting in their own strength, they were left in their own strength.”

What was the result? They were afflicted and smitten. The church dwindled and became weak. The city of Zarahemla was taken and conquered.

Mormon 3:9

“Because of this great thing which my people [the Nephite people in A.D. 362] had done, they began to boast in their own strength.”

What was the result? Mormon temporarily refused to lead them. The Lord said to Mormon, “Vengeance is mine” and the entire Nephite nation was destroyed from off the face of the land.

Let us be careful in our personal lives and guard against boasting. Let us remember that we depend on God for our very breath and that our greatest treasures lie in heaven.

Pressing Through Adversity

D&C 58: 2 – 4:

“For verily I say unto you [YOUR NAME], blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.

Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.

For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye [YOU] shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand.”

When Joseph spent more than four months in the Liberty Jail or “Liberty Temple”, he received three of the most powerful sections of the D&C. Imagine being in his shoes. You’re in a cramped space, it’s cold (from Jan – Apr), you know your friends are being persecuted outside, and you can’t even stand up to your full stature because of a low ceiling. I imagine Joseph was frustrated and sometimes felt abandoned, yet he cried out to the Lord and got this response in D&C 121:7 – 10:

“My son [YOUR NAME], peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.

Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.

Thou art not yet as Job; thy friends do not contend against thee, neither charge thee with transgression, as they did Job.”

Each of us will pass through trials and tribulations, some of those might feel like they’re testing us to our very limits. However, remember what the Lord went on to tell Joseph in D&C 122:9:

“Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.”

The Lord will be with His servants and those who strive to do His will. Fear not what man (or your mission companion, adversarial spirits, or anyone else) can do, for their bounds are set and they cannot pass. Your days are known and they shall not be numbered less.

What Brings You Joy?

I love the way Alma describes what brings him joy in Alma 29:9, “I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.”

A couple of important points:

1.      He served in a position of power as chief priest, but that wasn’t directly responsible for his joy.

2.      I’m guessing that they did well enough as a family financially because he was able to leave his “employment” many different times to preach the gospel in different lands. Yet, his money wasn’t the source of his joy.

What is your/my source of joy?

Depending on how you just answered, how much time are you putting into your “source” of joy?

If our answer is that your joy is in the Lord, well then, how many times a day do you pray, ponder, and search His will for you?

If your answer is your family, how much time do you invest in your family?

Here is what the Lord has to say about “Joy”:

D&C 18:15: “And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!”

D&C 42:61: “If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things – that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.”

Alma 19:6, speaking of King Lamoni who lay prostrate, “…he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of his goodness – yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul..”

We Choose Our Feelings

I watched the news today and saw the decision from the SCOTUS regarding marriage. So much wickedness surrounds us. We know the time of tribulation draws near, that challenges await us, and that the future will have plenty of hurdles.

However, we get to CHOOSE our thoughts and feelings. It's easy to be pessimistic and get weighed down by all the negativity that surrounds us. I just watched this video from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and felt a wave of hope, excitement, and optimism.

Despite what might come in the near future, how glorious to know that the Lord will be victorious. He will come in His glory to usher in a great era of peace. Good will triumph over evil. Righteousness will triumph over wickedness. The Son of God will crush the adversary.

Through it all, we have reason to be optimistic as we anxiously await the Lord's return.

This day I choose to be optimistic and I'm filled with excitement for the future, whether on this side of the veil or the other.

How Are We like Alma?

When Alma was talking to his son Shiblon, he recounted his own experience. What can we learn from Alma?

First, let's look at Alma. He was one of the vilest of sinners in his youth. He was wicked and corrupt. His time and energy was spent convincing people why they should abandon their testimonies of the gospel and leave the church. He tried to convince people to do every manner of wickedness. Until one day an angel of the Lord appeared to him and commanded him to stop or he would be destroyed.

Alma is reflecting on his past and his experience when he tells Shiblon in Alma 38:8, "I was three days and three night in the most bitter pain and anguish of soul; and never, until I did cry out unto the Lord Jesus Chris for mercy, did I receive a remission of my sins. But behold, I did cry unto him and I did find peace to my soul."

Let's look at this verse carefully and see how it might apply to us. He said, "I was three days and three night in the most bitter pain and anguish of soul; and never, UNTIL I did cry out unto the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy,..."  He was in bitter pain and anguish for three days. Think about an experience in your life, when you felt alone or like you had lost the Spirit.

How often do we linger in our own vices? Maybe it's depression, addiction, quickness to anger, self-defeating mindset, pride, a habit that keeps the Spirit away, or a lack of faith.

Alma suffered for days and nothing changed UNTIL he did cry out to the Lord. He wallowed in anguish and pain, UNTIL that moment when he cried for mercy.

After he cried unto the Lord, he received a remission of his sins and he found peace to his soul. As he talked with Shiblon and probably countless other times when he looked back at his youth, he probably cringed at the things he did. Yet, he found peace in the Lord. He knew pain and misery, but he also knew peace and mercy.

I love the Book of Mormon. It is a source of so many incredible teachings and examples if we will apply them to our own lives.

40 Day Challenge

When I was TDY in Tampa Bay in 2007, they reorganized a stake. At the Saturday evening session, I remember Elder Zwick asking people to raise their hand to commit to his challenge.

The Challenge:  Prayerfully read every conference talk and come up with at least one action item as directed by the Spirit.

I did that and it was a sweet experience. Oftentimes, it didn't even matter what the person said in their talk, the Spirit would prompt me to do certain things and that challenge changed my life. As I was reading online the other day, I came across a similar challenge and decided to do the same thing again this year.

I invite anyone who would like to have a sweet experience to join me. What do you have to lose by trying this? Regardless of your opinion of the church, the leadership, or anything else, what do you have to lose by prayerfully reading each talk and asking the Lord to give you at least one action item? This would augment any other study of the gospel and will take less than 10 minutes a day.

I can confidently promise a sweet experience to anyone who does this. Are we so set in our opinions and ways that we won't try something new? We often invite people to be open-minded, yet sometimes we are as close-minded as those we are inviting to be open-minded.

For those who would like to join with me, this is a sample flow for the 40 day challenge:

Personal Revelation and the Temple

The primary people who these blog posts are written for are my children and their posterity. After two years, I compile the blog posts and publish them in a book that I distribute to my children and family for their libraries or records. These posts are the equivalent of the "small plates" for my children, grand-children, and great-grand-children.

On that note, I want to share with them an experience that applies to all of us, but became a personal revelation in the Las Vegas Temple.

About two weeks ago, I was in Las Vegas doing a seminar. While there, I attended the Las Vegas Temple (which is filled with so much symbolism...just look at the picture above) on a beautiful Spring evening.

After the session, I had the chance to sit in the Celestial Room for a little more than 30 minutes. It wasn't very long until everyone else had left, so it was just me and the temple worker. I thought to myself, "There are over 1,000,000 people in this valley right now and I have the chance to be in the Celestial Room alone."

I pondered and prayed while looking at a beautiful, large painting of the Savior. While pondering, a clear and distinct thought came to my mind. The thought was what the Savior told Peter in Luke 22:31, "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat." The difference between the scripture and the temple, was that this was directed towards me! It all of a sudden became very personal.

The full thought was this: "Rob, you have a very important mission left to fill on earth. Be careful, guard yourself, because Satan desires to have thee and sift thee as wheat!"

I imagine the same thing could be said for many people, the difference was, this became very personal. This is the difference between revelation and personal revelation. It can be the same words, but it takes on another level of meaning when it is directed personally at you.

I love the Gospel. Temples are a holy and sacred place and I've had numerous personal experiences within the walls of the temple. We went to the Provo temple this morning, again it was beautiful to watch the sun crest the mountains in the background and beam light over the spire of the temple. I love the Savior. For my posterity, I want them to know that the veil is thin. The Spirit will whisper to us if we tune our hearts, minds, and soul.

The Swirling Blizzard of Life

Robbie and I drove from Orem to Heber tonight and it was probably the worst blizzard I've driven in for more than 10 years. The snow was swirling, as if coming from every direction. We had to slow down to 10 mph and even then we could hardly see in front of us. Many times the only way I could tell where I was on the road was to look for a line, and in the cases where the line was covered, I had to look left or right for the metal sidebar and estimate how far away we were. My heart raced, adrenaline was flowing and we almost witnessed multiple head-on collisions.

Needless to say, we offered more than one prayer on that drive.

As I pondered what happened tonight, I realized that our lives are similar. A couple of parallels that I witnessed are:

1. Sometimes we can cruise through life, however, there are other times when it appears that we might be surrounded on all sides with no way out. We're not even sure which direction is which and we become temporarily disoriented. Sometimes, in the midst of a trial, the Lord will show us just enough (a glimpse of a line or metal rail) to help us continue to trek forward...even though it may be slowly. The key is to continue to look, seek, and ask for his help and counsel.

The story of Joseph suffering in Liberty Jail comes to mind. Joseph cried to the Lord in 121:1 - 2, "O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? How long shall thy hand be stayed?"

The Lord comforted Joseph and counseled him in Section 122:7 "If fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good."

If we seek the Lord and follow his counsel, eventually the storm will pass, we will emerge from the blizzard, and we will go our way.

2. After returning home, I discovered that our daughter Clara was sick. She was laying at the foot of our bed moaning and had thrown up numerous times. As I quietly sat and rubbed her legs, I could hear the wind and storm howling outside in the blackness of the night. Yet, inside we  were warm, protected, and sheltered from the fierce winds outside.

In life, if we follow the direction of the Spirit, we will be protected from the "shafts in the whirlwind" and the "fiery darts" of the adversary. The Savior said in D&C 84:88, "I will go before your face, I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hears, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."

There will be times when we go through the storm, but if we stay close to the Lord, there are many times when he will shield us and protect us from the assaulting storms of life.

This experience tonight was certainly spooky and it took more than an hour to flush the adrenaline from the system after pulling into our garage. On the other hand, I'm grateful for this lesson the Lord taught me this evening.

Do Your Roots Run Deep?

We spent about a week in Hawaii and had a wonderful time. Boogie boarding at Pyramid Point and Waimea Bay, snorkeling, Pearl Harbor, the PCC, and other fun activities. On Sunday, we visited the "Punchbowl", a place where many people are buried and where the names of hundreds of thousands of soldiers who were never found are listed on the walls.

While at the Punchbowl, we rested underneath some enormous green giants. It was interesting to look carefully at these trees. They were massive in size and breadth. They were balanced. They were beautiful. The other thing that was clearly noticeable was the size and mass of the roots. Imagine how deep and strong the roots would have to be to sustain such a tree!

It caused me to think about my own life. How deep and strong do my roots run?

The words of Alma came to mind. In Alma 32:37 - 38 he teaches:

"And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.

But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out."

Alma goes on to say in verse 41, "But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life."

The trees in the pictures above have withstood the tremendous forces of hurricanes, heat, etc. When we examine our own personal lives, would we find deep roots required to withstand the storms that are coming?

The time has arrived and things will continue to erode spiritually. Unless we make a conscious effort to nourish the word, stay close to the spirit of the Lord, and serve him, we may be scorched and cast out. On the other hand, if we make the time to nourish the word and serve the Lord, the gospel will take root in us and the tree will spring up and we will have the blessing of partaking of its fruit.

As for me and my house, we choose to serve the Lord!

The Responsibility to Teach our Children

When Lehi was near the end of his mortal life, he brought his children and grandchildren together to give them a blessing. Of particular interest is the blessing he imparted on Laman and Lemuel’s children.

In 2 Nephi 4: 5 – 6 Lehi tells his grandchildren, “But behold, my sons and my daughters, I cannot go down to my grave save I should leave a blessing upon you; for behold, I know that if ye are brought up in the way ye should go ye will not depart from it.

 Wherefore, if ye are cursed, behold, I leave my blessing upon you, that the cursing may be taken from you and be answered upon the heads of your parents.

That last sentence uttered by Lehi should cause any parent to sit up in their chair and pay attention!

D&C 68: 25 & 28 goes on to teach, “And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents. And they shall also teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.”

These scriptures are poignant and direct with implication.

I took this short Facebook story from a good friend of ours who’s not LDS (Cece Thorne):

“I was reminded today why, as a Mama, I'm so privileged to get to do what I do. In the van coming home from Walmart Michael says, "Mama, I saw a lady in Walmart that didn't have an arm". I told Michael that I saw her too. Then he asks "Can we pray for her?" **sigh...be still my heart** I said of course, and he prayed that God would allow her to be able to do what she needs to do each day. All I can say is, whom ever gets my little mister one day is one fortunate girl!!”

Are we teaching our children to pray and think of others like young Michael in this story?

Reading these scriptures and story causes me to ask myself a few additional questions:

1. What am I teaching my children?
2. Are we teaching them to look to the Lord, to pray, and to study from the scriptures?
3. Am I teaching by example and action or simply by word alone?
4. Do we pray and read together daily as a family?

It’s my hope that in this chaotic and fast world, we don’t forget the grand call of our raising our children in righteousness. The Lord has entrusted parents with a stewardship and commended them with a sacred responsibility.

Hastening the Work

D&C 88:73 "Behold, I will hasten my work in its time."

D&C 52:43 "But, behold, I, the Lord, will hasten the city in its time, and will crown the faithful with joy and with rejoicing."

Recently there has been a lot of talk about “hastening the work”. I also think there has been a lot of misunderstanding as to what that means. This morning I attended a Stake Priesthood leadership meeting and heard a great definition from our Stake President.

This is a summary of his comments:

“The Lord will hasten His work according to His way, His will, and His time. Man won’t “hasten” His work. When He asks us to hasten the work, He’s not asking us to “lift more” or “run faster”. What IS being asked is that we get our lives in order and in focus. In other words, to focus on the Savior, to purify our own lives and our families. The time has arrived when we can no longer sit idly by and watch. We have to choose whether we are on the Lord’s side or not.”

I felt that was a fabulous description! It’s not whether or not we can actually “hasten” the Lord’s work, it’s whether or not we will procrastinate the day of our repentance or whether we will get our lives in order now. Events are coming which will test each of us and our resolve to serve the Lord. Now is the time for us to get our lives in order and to follow Him.

When we say “hasten”, let’s not waste any more time saying to ourselves, “I’ll fix that soon.”

Today is the day for us to do good, to lift those around us, to help someone in need, to strengthen our resolve to follow the Savior and seek the Holy Ghost!

With Wondrous Awe

This morning I woke up at 5:45 a.m. to play racquetball with a close friend. While I waited for him to pick me up, I walked outside to observe the full moon reflecting off the snowy fields behind our house. It was quiet. It was beautiful. It was majestic.

With wondrous awe I stood with amazement looking at the Lord's creations which appear to be beyond number, yet they are somehow numbered to Him. It was a great moment of reflection to consider our place in the universe. How does He govern all of these systems, yet He still notices the sparrow? It is beyond my human mind to grasp the majesty of his kingdom.

Three scriptures that should cause us to think and ponder as we reflect on His creations:

D&C 88:26 "Wherefore, it {speaking of the earth} shall be sanctified; yea, notwithstanding it shall die, it shall be quickened again, and shall abide the power by which it is quickened, and the righteous shall inherit it."

D&C 88:37 "There are many kingdoms; for there is no space in the which there is no kingdom; and there is no kingdom in which there is no space, either a greater or a lesser kingdom."

Abraham 3:11 "And he {The Lord} said unto me: My son, my son (and his hand was stretched out), behold I will show you all these. And he put his hand upon mine eyes, and I saw those things which his hands had made, which were many; and they multiplied before mine eyes, and I could not see the end thereof."

Stars and planets come and go. Galaxies, stars, and planets are organized and disorganized. He is in control of it all.

The Lord can teach and show us all things. What He offers is greater than any earthly treasure. He is truly the light and the way. I love Him. He is my friend and master!

As I contemplate the majesty of the universe, I can't help but to stand in awe while looking at some of the deep space pictures taken by the Hubble telescope. I've posted some of them below. As you view them, keep in mind the scriptures and thoughts written above.