Temples!

As I prepare to make covenants in the temple (covenants between myself and the Lord), I would like to share what temples are and why they mean so much to me.
According to LDS.org, "Temples are literally houses of the Lord. They are holy places of worship where individuals make sacred covenants with God" (click here for a more extensive description). In the LDS Guide to the Scriptures, it states:
"The Lord has always commanded his people to build temples, holy buildings in which worthy Saints perform sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel... The Lord visits his temples, and they are the most holy of all places of worship.
"The tabernacle erected by Moses and the children of Israel was a portable temple. The Israelites used it during their exodus from Egypt.
"The best known temple mentioned in the Bible is the one built by Solomon in Jerusalem (2 Chr. 2-5). It was destroyed in 600 BC by the Babylonians and was restored by Zerubbabel almost a hundred years later (Ezra 1-6). Part of this temple was burned in 37 BC, and Herod the Great later rebuilt it. The Romans destroyed the temple in AD 70."
After the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established, the first temple to be built was the Kirtland Temple in Ohio, which was dedicated in 1836. Just this Easter, Thomas S. Monson (prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) announced that there were "144 temples in operation worldwide," with more being renovated, under construction, or announced and being prepared for construction ("Blessings of the Temple," April 2015 General Conference). Another has been rededicated since April, thus now there are 145 temples in operation.
The one nearest me is the Seattle Temple located in Bellevue, WA. I love going to the temple and experiencing the increase of peace and joy therein. I love being able to serve there. I know that the temple is indeed the house of the Lord and that blessings come from attending the temple. Even walking around the temple grounds, increased peace and joy can be felt. I encourage all of you to visit the temple--whether it be to go inside, or even to just walk around and enjoy its beauty and architecture--and drink in of the spirit felt there.

Some Temples I've Visited (and, yes, I took all of these pictures)

  

The Seattle Temple--temples look especially cool at night!

The famous Salt Lake Temple

The Provo Temple (Utah)--my favorite for its gorgeous landscape!

Brigham City Temple (Utah)

Logan Temple (Utah)

Twin Falls Temple (Idaho)

Boise Temple (Idaho)

Portland Temple (Oregon)

...and one more of the Seattle Temple.

You're Probably A Mormon If...

About a year ago, I posted a list entitled "You Know You're A Prospective Missionary When...", which got hundreds of views. I thought I would do a similar list. Being a Latter-day Saint and knowing that we have some uniqueness (don't we all?) in our church culture, I thought I would compile a list of things that would typically be associated with being a Latter-day Saint/Mormon. I've numbered this list because at the bottom is an explanation for each item if you are unfamiliar with it.

Enjoy!

You're probably a Mormon if:

1. You know what CTR, RM, and MTC mean.

2. "Elder" can refer to a male as young as eighteen.

3. You have a friend named Ammon.

4. You have a friend named Moroni.

5. You have a friend named Nephi.

6. You grew up thinking that popcorn came from apricot trees.

7. "Drinking" at a party refers to root beer or Mountain Dew.

8. You call a congregation a ward.

9. There's a box of tissues next to the pulpit at your church.

10. The pulpit (and, really, the front of the main room in general) is called the stand.

11. The main room is called the chapel.

12. The congregation is called a ward.

13. A ward leader is called a bishop.

14. A stake dance doesn't have anything to do with eating or camping.

15. You have seen and/or enjoy any of the following movies: Meet the Mormons, Saturday's Warrior, The Best Two Years, The Singles Ward, The Saratov Approach...oh, and just about any Disney movie.

16. You've ever gone a year and a half without seeing your best friend.

17. You've ever gone two years without seeing your best friend.

18. You've gone more than two years without seeing your best friend because you left on missions at different times.

19. Seminary refers to a class for high-school students.

20. "Trek" is more than a light hike...

21. You know that Pioneer Day has nothing to do with the Mayflower.

22. You can sing "I Am a Child of God," "Called to Serve," "Praise to the Man," and/or "Families
      Can Be Together Forever" from memory.

23. You wish that "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" were in the hymnal.

24. You're a fan of Vocal Point.

25. You're a fan of Lindsey Stirling and/or Jenny Oaks Baker.

26. You're a fan of David Archuleta.

27. You're a fan of the Piano Guys.

28. You call Brigham Young University's Idaho campus "BYU-'I do'."

29. You consider the temple to be the happiest place on earth.

30. You easily forget a church friend's or their parents' first name(s) because you call each other
     "brother" and "sister" all the time.

31. You call your college professor "brother" or "sister."

32. You've used the phrase "modest is hottest."

33. You call a farmer's tan a Mormon tan.

34. You've watched a lot of Disney movies.

35. "Fast Sunday" has nothing to do with the length of the church service.

36. You look forward to April and October each year.

37. You love hearing from Jeffrey R. Holland.

38. You love hearing from Thomas S. Monson.

39.You love hearing from Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

40. Any other Church leader is a favorite speaker.

41. You know off the top of your head who said any of the following:

      -"Never postpone a prompting."

      -"Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith."

      -"Try a little harder to be a little better."

42. You know what MoTab is.
43. You've used the quote, "I know it. I live it. I love it."
44. You miss Gordon B. Hinckley.
45. You miss Neal A. Maxwell.
46. You can finish the following: "For behold, this is my work and my glory..."
47. Forget Monday--it's P-day.
48. You get excited at the sight of suited young men riding bikes.
49. You have ever ridden a bike while wearing a skirt (if you're a girl, of course!).
50. You have a Mormon.org profile.

If you have any others, feel free to comment below!

Explanations:
1. CTR: "choose the right" (a popular phrase in Mormon culture)
    RM: returned missionary (someone who has served a mission)
    MTC: Missionary Training Center (where missionaries go for some general and language training before going to the
                mission to which they have been assigned)

2. "Elder" is an office in the LDS Church. A male typically becomes an elder before serving a church mission; the
    minimum age for a male missionary is 18 (19 for females).

3. Ammon is a well-known missionary talked about in the Book of Mormon.

4. Moroni is the last prophet mentioned in the Book of Mormon. It is also Moroni that is perched upon most LDS temples around the world.

5. Nephi is the first prophet mentioned in the Book of Mormon, known for his strong faith.

6. "Popcorn Popping" is the name of a lighthearted LDS children's song.

7. Since Latter-day Saints don't drink alcohol (see the Word of Wisdom) and used to not drink caffeine (see here), it's become somewhat of a tease among young LDS. It's just one of those quirks.

8. You call a congregation a ward (see here and scroll to the bottom).

9. The tissues next to the pulpit: honestly, I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's because a lot of speakers get teary-eyed, especially on Fast Sunday when people bear their testimonies (that's a lot of Mormon lingo, I know, which is why I've added the links).

10. The pulpit (and, really, the front of the main room in general) is called the stand. I'm not sure exactly why--it's just a
       Mormon thing.

11. The main room is called the chapel.

12. The congregation is called a ward.

13. A ward leader is called a bishop.

14. A stake dance is a dance held for similar-aged people in a geographical area, typically for high school-age kids.

15. -Meet the Mormons
      -Saturday's Warrior: a film adaptation of an LDS musical; the musical came out in 1974, the film in 1989. They are
       also redoing a reboot, scheduled to come out in 2016.
      -The Best Two Years: a film about four LDS missionaries in the Netherlands (I have yet to see this movie, so I can't say
       much.)
      -The Singles Ward: an LDS ward full of young single people (we have plenty of those). Pretty self-explanatory, huh?--
        until you read the plot.
      -The Saratov Approach: based on the true story of two LDS missionaries who were kidnapped in Russia. It's a nail-
       biter (or at least for me it was)!
      ...oh, and just about any Disney movie.

16. You've ever gone a year and a half without seeing your best friend: females who go on missions serve for 18 months.

17. You've ever gone two years without seeing your best friend: males who go on missions serve for 24 months.

18. You've gone more than two years without seeing your best friend because you left on missions at different times: see
       #16 & 17 above.

19. Seminary refers to a class for high-school students.

20. "Trek" is more than a light hike...

21. Pioneer Day (July 21) is a day of remembrance and reflection on the Mormon pioneers and what they sacrificed in
      making their journey to the Salt Lake Valley. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir puts on an annual Pioneer Day concert.
      Last year's special guest was Santino Fontana (known as Prince Topher in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella on
      Broadway and Prince Hans in Frozen); this year's special guest will be Laura Osnes (known as Cinderella in Rodgers
      & Hammerstein's Cinderella on Broadway).

22. You can sing "I Am a Child of God," "Called to Serve," "Praise to the Man," and/or "Families Can Be Together Forever" from memory.

23. You wish that "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" were in the hymnal.

24. You're a fan of Vocal Point.

25. You're a fan of Lindsey Stirling and/or Jenny Oaks Baker.

26. You're a fan of David Archuleta.

27. You're a fan of the Piano Guys.

28. You call Brigham Young University's Idaho campus "BYU-'I do'": One of those jokes because it seems like people go
       there, meet somebody, and get married. But you could say that for quite a few colleges I'm sure.

29. You consider the temple to be the happiest place on earth" There's even a meme about it.

30. You easily forget a church friend's or their parents' first name(s) because you call each other "brother" and "sister" all the time: We all call each other "brother" and "sister" at church because we are all God's children.

31. You call your college professor "brother" or "sister": see above.

32. "Modest is hottest": I still don't know who started that specific phrase, but it is connected to our views on modesty.

33. You call a farmer's tan a Mormon tan: see above.

34. You've watched a lot of Disney movies: because clean media is becoming harder and harder to find. Like I said in
       #15, lots of Disney...

35. "Fast Sunday": I talked about this earlier in #9, but here is the link again.

36. April and October are when our church's biannual General Conference is held, when we listen to the words of our
      prophet, apostles, and other church leaders. Everyone can find something relevant and applicable in their life at
      General Conference, LDS or otherwise. Personally, I love General Conference; it's my favorite time of the year
      (outside of Christmas).

37. Jeffrey R. Holland: a latter-day apostle, Elder Holland was sustained as an apostle in 1994. My favorite talk of his is
      from April 2013 and is entitled "Lord, I Believe."

38. Thomas S. Monson: the living prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he
      has been prophet of the LDS Church since February 2008. My favorite talk given by President Monson is from
      October 2013 and is entitled "I Will Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee" (and, in fact, I had the privilege to watch this
      session of General Conference live in the LDS Conference Center!).

39. Dieter F. Uchtdorf: second counselor to the First Presidency (made up of the president/prophet and two counselors),
       he has been second counselor in the First Presidency since February 2008. Two of my favorite Pres. Uchtdorf talks
      (because I can't decide on just one) include "Grateful in Any Circumstances" from April 2014 and, from October 2013,
      "Come, Join with Us."

40. Any other Church leader is a favorite speaker.

41. You know off the top of your head who said any of the following:

      -"Never postpone a prompting." ~Thomas S. Monson (from "The Spirit Giveth Life")

      -"Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith." ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf (from "Come, Join with Us")

      -"Try a little harder to be a little better." ~Gordon B. Hinckley (from "We Have a Work to Do")

42. MoTab is slang for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
43. "I know it. I live it. I love it." ~Ann M. Dibb (here is the talk)
44. Gordon B. Hinckley: prophet/president of the LDS Church from 1995 until his death in 2008.
45. Neal A. Maxwell: LDS apostle from 1981 until his death in 2004. His final talk and my personal favorite is from April
      2004, entitled "Remember How Merciful the Lord Hath Been."
46. "For behold, this is my work and my glory...": "...to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." Moses 1:39
       (Pearl of Great Price)
47. P-day, or Preparation Day, is the day each week that missionaries take care of temporal needs, such as grocery
      shopping, and sometimes even sight-see. It is also the day each week that missionaries have the opportunity to email
      family and friends back home. This day tends to be Monday each week, though the day of the week may vary by
      mission.
48. Suited young men riding bikes usually equals missionaries. If they are indeed missionaries, this might be cause to
      roll down the window and shout, "Hello, elders!"
49. You have ever ridden a bike while wearing a skirt (if you're a girl, of course!)--typically done while serving a mission.
50. You have a Mormon.org profile. Here's mine: http://www.mormon.org/me/C7NY

Hymn Favorites: "Where Can I Turn for Peace?"

"Where can I turn for peace?

Where is my solace

When other sources cease to make me whole?

When with a wounded heart, anger, or malice,

I draw myself apart,

Searching my soul?

Where, when my aching grows,

Where, when I languish,

Where, in my need to know, where can I run?

Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish?

Who, who can understand?

He, only One.

He answers privately,

Reaches my reaching

In my Gethsemane, Savior and Friend.

Gentle the peace he finds for my beseeching.

Constant he is and kind,

Love without end."

"Where can I turn for peace?"

The Lord gives us peace. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27).

"Where is my solace when other sources cease to make me whole?"

The Lord will make us whole. "And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind [Jesus], and touched the hem of his garment: for she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour" (Matthew 9:20-22, emphasis added). That applies to emotional and spiritual healing, too, not just physical healing.

"When with a wounded heart, anger, or malice, I draw myself apart, searching my soul?"

The Lord knows us better than we can know ourselves; His Spirit will guide. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24).

"Where, when my aching grows, where, when I languish, where, in my need to know, where can I run?"

We can run to the Lord. "Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress" (Psalm 71:3).

"Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish?"

The Lord's hand will be ever reaching out in comfort. "...his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still" (Isaiah 9:21, emphasis added).

"Who, who can understand?"

The next line gives us the answer: "He, only One." Only the Lord can truly understand. "For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; but if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit--and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink--nevertheless, glory be to to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men" (D&C 19:16-19).

"He answers privately,

Reaches my reaching

In my Gethsemane, Savior and Friend.

Gentle the peace he finds for my beseeching.

Constant he is and kind,

Love without end."

Peace at the Temple

There is something about the temple that makes it unique and different from other places. Whether you walk the grounds or enter its doors, there is an increase of joy and peace found there. It truly is hallowed ground.

Just this past Thursday I visited the local temple (the Seattle Temple) with two of my close friends. Something that I thought of regarding my visit (but I didn't think of until afterwards) was Moses' encounter with the burning bush in the Old Testament:
"Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
"And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
"And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
"And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
"And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground" (Exodus 3:1-5).

When we went into the temple, we took off our shoes, just as Moses did when he was commanded by the Lord. I testify that the temple and the grounds of the temple are truly holy, sanctified ground, and that is why we experience such peace and joy there.


It happened to be a beautiful day that we were there, so here are some pictures as well.

Grateful No Matter What

"Over the years, I have had the sacred opportunity to meet with many people whose sorrows seem to reach the very depths of their soul. In these moments, I have listened to my beloved brothers and sisters and grieved with them over their burdens. I have pondered what to say to them, and I have struggled to know how to comfort and support them in their trials.
"Often their grief is caused by what seems to them as an ending. Some are facing the end of a cherished relationship, such as the death of a loved one or estrangement from a family member. Others feel they are facing the end of hope--the hope of being married or bearing children or overcoming an illness. Others may be facing the end of their faith, as confusing and conflicting voices in the world tempt them to question, even abandon, what they once knew to be true.
"Sooner or later, I believe that all of us experiences times when the very fabric of our world tears at the seams, leaving us feeling alone, frustrated, and adrift.
"It can happen to anyone. No one is immune."
-Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Grateful in Any Circumstances"

Recently I was discussing with a close friend how to handle difficult times that come our way. During our conversation, he brought up this talk in particular and read this opening section. I cannot even describe the impact of those words in that moment. I could relate so much to this; we all can relate to this at some point in life.

Later, Uchtdorf said, "It might sound contrary to the wisdom of the world to suggest that one who is burdened with sorrow should give thanks to God. But those who set aside the bottle of bitterness and lift instead the goblet of gratitude can find a purifying drink of healing, peace, and understanding."

A perfect example of this above statement is the story behind the hymn of "It Is Well with My Soul," which I wrote about in a blog post earlier this year (click here to read it).

Another great example is the story of Job in the Old Testament. Job was a wealthy man in his day and was faithful to the Lord. Satan decided he wanted to see if Job would turn his back on the Lord if he was given trials, so he received permission from the Lord to bring afflictions upon Job. Job lost his servants, his animals, his children, his home... "Then Job arose, ...and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:20-21).

The Bible is filled with verses and passages about gratefulness, thankfulness, being content in circumstances, etc. Here are a few that particularly stand out to me:
-"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts...and be ye thankful" (Colossians 3:15).
-"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, wherewith to be content" (Philippains 4:11).
-"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name" (Psalm 100:4).
-"O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever" (Psalm 118:1).
-"Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place" (2 Corinthians 2:14).

Earlier I mentioned discussing this subject with a friend. That friend gave me a challenge, and now I challenge you to do the same: offer up a prayer in which you don't pray for any blessings or make any requests; let it solely be a prayer of gratitude. I've done this myself, and it made me feel so much better. I know that if you do this with sincerity, you will have increased joy and peace.

What Is the Spirit Telling You?

This week for me could be summed up in one word: promptings.
On Sunday, I received a prompting.
On Monday, I received a prompting.
On Tuesday, a prompting.
On Wednesday, another prompting.
On Thursday, more promptings.
Friday? Again.
Saturday? Keep 'em comin'.

In other words, we can all receive daily promptings, both big and small.

This is what Thomas S. Monson had to say about promptings from the Spirit:
     "At times, the answers to our questions and the responses to our
     daily prayers come to us through silent promptings of the Spirit.
     As William Cowper wrote:
         'God moves in a mysterious way
         His wonders to perform;
         He plants His footsteps in the sea
         And rides upon the storm. ...
         Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
         But trust him for his grace;
         Behind a frowning providence
         He hides a smiling face.'
     "We watch. We wait. We listen for that still, small voice. When it
     speaks, wise men and women obey. We do not postpone the
     promptings of the Spirit. ...
     "Never, never, never postpone a prompting."

We need to listen for the promptings of the Spirit. We need to "always have His Spirit...with [us]" (Moroni 4:3; see also Moroni 5:2) so that we can better recognize those promptings.

What is the Spirit telling you today?
Listen, and then take action.


*If you'd like to read or watch the rest of Thomas S. Monson's talk, "The Spirit Giveth Life," click here.

General Conference Thoughts: April 2015: Religious Freedom & Tolerance

This is something that I've wanted to address for awhile, but especially after hearing the topic come up several times, I felt that now would be a good time to do so.
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have something called the Articles of Faith. Long story short, a newspaper editor asked what Latter-day Saints believe, and Joseph Smith wrote this to condense our beliefs into 13 short but powerful statements.
Our 11th Article of Faith states, "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may." Why would we, the same church that believes that we have the fully restored gospel of Jesus Christ, say this? Because we all have free agency (the ability to choose). If we didn't have agency, we would all be robots and there would be no point in living on the earth--but we are here to make choices and prove ourselves faithful to the Lord. That means loving the Lord and showing our love for Him by obeying Him to the best of our ability, just as a child who truly loves their parent would show their love by obeying their parent to the best of their ability.
This is why religious freedom is so important: if we didn't have religious freedom, our agency would be restricted and, in fact, nonexistent in the religion aspect. But it is not just religious freedom that is important; we also need religious tolerance.
Now, I'm not suggesting that you have to agree with or condone the beliefs and actions of someone of another faith (or of no faith at all); what I mean is that we all need to be respectful of others' agency and allow them to make their own decisions. We can share with them our beliefs, but don't force a decision upon them; allow them to make decisions--any decision, really--for themselves.
Which brings me to something else to address:
Something that I've noticed throughout my life in regard to varying religions is that oftentimes, when someone is curious about another belief system, they don't go directly to the source. I've especially noticed this in Mormonism, both as a nonmember and as a member. Unfortunately, it was my ignorance of what Latter-day Saints really believed that made it hard on me when I found out that the misconceptions with which I'd known throughout my life were wrong. I had to strip myself of pride in order to find out what these people really believed. I went to the source to find out what these people had to say and why they believe what they do. And it made sense to me! I understood, and I agreed. And that's why I am a Latter-day Saint myself.
I'm not trying to force anyone to believe the same as I do, but please--for the sake of myself and others of various religions and denominations--if you want to know what someone truly believes, go to the source. Don't go to someone who has never been involved in the religion or even someone who used to be in that denomination and is no longer affiliated with it, because sometimes practices change or they may even say something to taint a religion's image. Go directly to the source: using the LDS Church as an example, go to LDS.org, Mormon.org, read the Bible and the Book of Mormon (especially if you've read/studied the Bible and are skeptical of the Book of Mormon), read what our church's leaders have to say, and, your best source for any religion, ask their members! I cannot emphasize that enough. If you want to know what a Baptist believes, ask a Baptist. If you want to know what a Catholic believes, ask a Catholic. If you want to know what a Buddhist believes, as a Buddhist. You get the idea.
And if you want to know what a Latter-day Saint believes, ask me or any other Latter-day Saint out there!