A New Year With Time Ticking On

For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. (Alma 34:32)

As we look into 2013 we look at a block of time. We see 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds. And all is a gift from God. We have done nothing to deserve it, earn it, or purchased it. Like the air we breathe, time comes to us as a part of life.

The gift of time is not ours alone. It is given equally to each person. Rich and poor, educated and ignorant, strong and weak—every man, woman and child has the same twenty-four hours every day.

Another important thing about time is that you cannot stop it. There is no way to slow it down, turn it off, or adjust it. Time marches on.

And you cannot bring back time. Once it is gone, it is gone. Yesterday is lost forever, a memory, good or bad. If yesterday is lost, tomorrow is yet to be molded, painted or experienced. We may look ahead at a full year’s block of time, but we really have no guarantee that we will experience any of it while in this life.

This life's time could be taken from us through accident, neglect or old age. We are just a heart beat, or lack thereof, away from tomorrow's earthly's  time. God does call many home before their time, both young and old. So today's time could be your last. So live each day as though it is your last.

Obviously, time is one of our most precious possessions. We can waste it. We can worry over it. We can spend it on ourselves. Or, as good stewards, we can invest it in the kingdom of God.

...wherefore, I give unto them a commandment, thus: Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known. (D&C 60:13)

I have observed some people use and invest their time wisely--learning, growing, maturing, serving others and serving the Lord. While others have used their time on destroying, tearing down, selfish acts, polluting their minds, basically doing no good.

The Lord expects us to use our time wisely, with purpose and meaning.

1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be  exercised in it.

11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do  good in his life.

13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. (Ecclesiastes 3:2-13)

The new year is full of time. As the seconds tick away, will you be tossing time out the window, or will you make every minute count?

Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the  salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed. (D&C 123:13)

Love, Dad

Having a Personal Relationship with our Savior

As we approach our celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, I hope we each can take the time to evaluate our personal relationship with our Savior.

To help us in developing this relationship, I would like to share some excerpts from a talk given by President James E. Faust that addresses the steps towards having a personal relationship with Christ.


James E Faust

Some time ago in South America, a seasoned group of outstanding missionaries was asked, "What is the greatest need in the world?" One wisely responded: "Is not the greatest need in all of the world for every person to have a personal, ongoing, daily, continuing relationship with the Savior?" Having such a relationship can unchain the divinity within us, and nothing can make a greater difference in our lives as we come to know and understand our divine relationship with God.

We should earnestly seek not just to know about the Master, but to strive, as he invited, to be one with him (see John 17:21), to "be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man" (Ephesians 3:16). We may not feel a closeness with him because we think of him as being far away, or our relationship may not be sanctifying because we do not think of him as a real person.

How can we receive the personal blessing of the Master's divine and exalting influence in our own lives? Since our own feelings are sacred to us and cannot be disputed by others, let us begin with those quiet assurances which occasionally can come to all of us and which we know are true. We cannot always prove these verities to others, yet they come as a form of knowledge. Is this part of the divine that ferments within us reaching to its source? Is it not like a personal witness of truth flowing through the thin curtain that separates this world from another? Is there not a yearning to understand in your mind what is in your heart, a feeling that you cannot give utterance to because it is so unspeakably personal? The Master said that this quiet reality can "speak peace to your mind concerning the matter." (D&C 6:23.)

May I suggest five beginning, essential measures that will greatly clear the channel for a daily flow of "living water" from the very source of the spring, even the Redeemer himself.

First: A daily communion involving prayer. A fervent, sincere prayer is a two-way communication that will do much to bring his Spirit flowing like healing water to help with the trials, hardships, aches, and pains we all face. What is the quality of our secret prayers when only he listens? As we pray, we should think of him as being close by, full of knowledge, understanding, love, and compassion, the essence of power, and having great expectations of each of us.

Second: A daily selfless service to another. The followers of the divine Christ have to be weighed on the scales of what their actions are rather than on solemn professions of belief. The true measure is found in Matthew: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these . . . ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40.) A wise man observed, "The man who lives by himself and for himself is apt to be corrupted by the company he keeps." (Charles Henry Parkhurst.)

Third: A daily striving for an increased obedience and perfection in our lives. "What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am," said the Savior. (3 Nephi 27:27.) Because of the perfect atonement of Jesus, just men may be made perfect. (See D&C 76:69.)

Fourth: A daily acknowledgment of his divinity. To have a daily, personal relationship with the Master, we must be his disciples. "For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?" (Mosiah 5:13.)

Fifth: A daily study of the scriptures. President Spencer W. Kimball has said: "I find that when I get casual in my relationships with divinity and when it seems that no divine ear is listening and no divine voice is speaking, that I am far, far away. If I immerse myself in the scriptures, the distance narrows and the spirituality returns." ("What I Hope You Will Teach My Grandchildren," address to seminary and institute personnel, July 11, 1966.)

I have a certain knowledge that Jesus of Nazareth is our Divine Savior. I know that he lives. From my earliest recollection I have had a sure perception of this. As long as I have lived, I have had a simple faith that has never doubted. I have not always understood, yet I have known through a knowledge that is so sacred to me that I cannot give utterance to it. I know and I testify with an absolute awareness in every fiber and innermost recess of my being that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Divine Redeemer, and the Son of God. May we ever be obedient to his wish, "Come unto me thy Savior." (D&C 19:41.)

May I add my testimony to President Faust's testimony, that I too have a testimony of Jesus Christ. It may not be the same personal witness as an apostle or prophet, but with an assurance, none the less, that Jesus Christ is real; He lives. He has personally paid for our sins, pains and anguish. 

I have a conviction that he is active in the leadership of this Church. He is also actively involved in our everyday lives.

I have felt his presence in the temple, in the Sacred Grove, in a small hotel room in Istanbul, Turkey, while giving a blessing and at a funeral service. I have received a personal witness many times in my life that he lives and loves me. He is personally interested in my daily activities, as well as yours.

As a family, I hope we can all make a united effort to renew and improve our relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ. As we do so, I can promise you, as the patriarch of this family, that your lives will improve, that you will be filled with happiness and joy, even in the midst of trial and hardship. I speak from personal experience.

To this I bear witness, in his name, even Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love, Dad

"Do You Love Me?"

With the season of Christmas upon us, I wanted to focus my next few blog posts on Christ, and our relationship with him. I don't think any of us can fully comprehend and understand the eternal gifts that Christ has given to you and me through his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and his power over the resurrection. These are gifts that we can never fully repay. They are unconditional. In comparison, the Savior asks so little of us in return, but asks us a question, followed by a request, "Do you love me. . . feed my sheep."

This last conference, Elder Holland gave a stirring testimony centered on this question and request. I cannot do justice to the power of his message by retelling it. So I request that you find a quiet time and place with your eternal companion, and listen to this apostle of Christ, as he teaches us how to fulfill this question "Do you love me?"

My I add my humble testimony of Christ. With as many years I have been studying the life of Christ, his mission and purpose, I still don't fully understand all that it is. But this much I know... he loves me and knows me personally. He wants me to win the fight in life and to overcome all. At times, it is not easy, but something deep down inside tells me it is worth it, to keep fighting.

The Savior gives us this promise in D&C 93:1 - 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;

I know he lives and is a regular part of our lives, especially during our temple worship. I know he is a part of each of your lives. You will be able to feel his presence as you clear your minds of worldly things and keep your lives clean. To this I bear witness in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love, Dad

The Spirt World

Today Mom and I, along with Sarah and Adam and their family, attended Rick Takamori's funeral service. It was a time of great celebration for Brother Takamori, but a time of sadness for his family and friends who will miss his physical presence for a time.

Since his death, I have pondered a lot about the Spirit World, what it must be like, and what work is going on there. Much has been written on the topic. Rather than trying to put in mine own words the comments and insights that have been given by many prophets and apostles on the subject, I will relate some of them here.

-Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 3:372, June 22, 1856

Is the spirit world here? It is not beyond the sun, but is on this earth that was organized for the people that have lived and that do and will live upon it No other people can have it, and we can have no other kingdom until we are prepared to inhabit this eternally.

-Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 3:368, June 22, 1856

It reads that the spirit goes to God who gave it. Let me render this Scripture a little plainer; when the spirits leave their bodies they are in the presence of our Father and God; they are prepared then to see, hear and understand spiritual things. But where is the spirit world? It is incorporated within this celestial system. Gan you see it with your natural eyes? No. Can you see spirits in this room? No. Suppose the Lord should touch your eyes that bodies with your you might see, could you then see the spirits? Yes, as plainly as you now see bodies, as did the servant of Elijah. If the Lord would permit it, and it was His will that it should be done, you could see the spirits that have departed from this world as plainly as you now see natural eyes.

-Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 17:142, July 19, 1874

We shall turn round and look upon it (the valley of death) and think, when we have crossed it, why this is the greatest advantage of my whole existence, for I have passed from a state of sorrow, grief, mourning, woe, misery, pain, anguish and disappointment into a state of existence, where I can enjoy life to the fullest extent as far as that can be done without a body. My spirit is set free, I thirst no more, I want to sleep no more, I hunger no more, I tire no more, I run, I walk, I labor, I go, I come, I do this, I do that, whatever is required of me, nothing like pain or weariness, I am full of life, full of vigor, and I enjoy the presence of my Heavenly Father, by the power of His Spirit. The spirits of the living that depart this life go into the world of spirits, and if the Lord withdraws the veil it is much easier for us then to behold the face of our Father who is in heaven than when we are clothed upon with this mortality.

-Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses 22:348, January 29, 1882

I cannot help but think that in every death there is a birth; the spirit leaves the body dead to us and passes to the other side of the veil alive to that great and noble company that are also working for the accomplishment of the purposes of God, in the redemption and salvation of a fallen world.

-Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 14:231, September 16, 1871

The brightness and glory of the next apartment is inexpressible. It is not encumbered… so that when we advance in years we have to be stubbing along and be careful lest we fall down. We see our youth, even, frequently stubbing their toes and falling down. But yonder, how different! They move with ease and like lightning. If we want to visit Jerusalem, or this, that, or the other place-and I presume we will be permitted if we desire-there we are, looking at its streets. If we want to behold Jerusalem as it was in the days of the Savior; or if we want to see the Garden of Eden as it was when created, there we are, and we see it as it existed spiritually, for it was created first spiritually and then temporally, and spiritually it still remains. And when there we may behold the earth as at the dawn of creation, or we may visit any city we please that exists upon its surface. If we wish to understand how they are living here on these western islands, or in China, we are there; in fact, we are like the light of the morning.

Here, we are continually troubled with ills and ailments of various kinds,… but in the spirit world we are free from all this and enjoy life, glory, and intelligence; and we have the Father to speak to us, Jesus to speak to us, and angels to speak to us, and we shall enjoy the society of the just and the pure who are in the spirit world until the resurrection.

-Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 7:240, September 1, 1859

If we are faithful to our religion when we go into the spirit world, the fallen spirits-Lucifer and the third part of the heavenly hosts that came with him, and the spirits of wicked men who have dwelt upon this earth, the whole of them combined will have no influence over our spirits. Is not that an advantage? Yes. All the rest of the children of men are more or less subject to them, and they are subject to them as they were while here in the flesh.

-Joseph F. Smith, Conference Reports, p. 8, April, 1912

Some people dream, you know, and think and teach that all the glory they ever expect to have in the world to come is to sit in the light and glory of the Son of God and sing praises and songs of joy and gratitude all their immortal lives. We do not believe in any such thing. We believe that every man will have his work to do in the other world, just as surely as he had it to do here, and a greater work than he can do here. We believe that we are on the road of advancement, of development in knowledge, in understanding, and in every good thing, and that we will continue to grow, advance and develop throughout the eternities that are before us.
-Joseph F. Smith, Journal of Discourses 22:351, January 29, 1882

Our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters and friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine Presence messages of love, of warning, of reproof and instruction to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh.

-Joseph Smith, Jr., Documentary History of the Church 6:52, October 9, 1843

The spirits of the just are blessed in their departure to the world of spirits. Enveloped in flaming fire, they are not far from us, and know and understand our thoughts, feelings, and motions, and are often pained therewith.

So what is Brother Takamori doing? He is doing what he was doing here, but so much more. Although he does not have his body, with his spirit he will be able to do much more than what he could have done here, as his mortal body was limited in many ways. Whereas his spirit now has enhanced powers. To illustrate this, let me  quote Elder Orson Pratt:

Knowledge will rush in from all quarters; it will come in like the light which flows from the sun, penetrating every part, informing the Spirit, and giving understanding concerning ten thousand things at the same time; and the mind will be capable of receiving and retaining all. . . . Not one object at a time, but a vast multitude of objects rush before his vision [the vision of a celestialized soul], and are present before his mind, filling him in a moment with the knowledge of worlds more numerous than the sands of the sea shore. Will he be able to bear it? Yes, his mind is strengthened in proportion to the amount of information imparted. It is this tabernacle, in its present condition, that prevents us from a more enlarged understanding. [Journal of Discourses, 2:246]

Perhaps in a later post I'll share more on this topic. But for now, I am happy for Rick Takamori, almost envious in a way. He is now free from Satan's influence and is in a state of happiness. The love that he feels in the Spirit World is so encompassing that it is hard to put into words. He is happy and working so much more for his family and fellow beings.

I bear my personal witness of the reality of the Spirit World, and how important it is in our eternal progression.

We all will be there some day. And when we are, we will then realize the importance of our righteous living while in mortal life. So let us each set aside our prideful feelings and love one another. Let charity, the pure love of Christ, be a part of our lives continually. 

Love, Dad

The Veil

On April 3, 1836, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were in the Kirtland Temple, and after holding several meetings with the church leadership, they retired to the pulpit area of the temple and dropped some curtains around them and began to pray. As they were praying, they had Jesus Christ appear to them, along with many ancient prophets who came to restore important keys to them. As recorded in the D&C 110, they described how it was that they were able to have this marvelous vision:

"The veil was taken from our minds, and the eyes of our understanding were opened."

On another occasion, when Joseph and Sidney Rigdon had several visions of the degrees of glory, as recorded in the 76th section of the D&C, in an upstair's room in the John Johnson home in Hiram, Ohio, they were there with 12 other men. Joseph and Sidney were the only ones in the room who had the veil lifted from their eyes and saw the visions of the three degrees of glory. Mom and I have been in the upstairs room on one of our trips, and felt the spirit of that experience. 

Philo Dibble, one who was present during this vision, gave this observation, "Joseph and Sidney were in the spirit and saw the heavens open, there were other men in the room, perhaps twelve, among whom I was one during a part of the time—probably two-thirds of the time,—I saw the glory and felt the power, but did not see the vision."

I had a sacred experience while I was serving in the bishopric, and was in the Baptistry in the Jordan River Temple with a group of our youth. I had been called on to offer a prayer before we began our work for the dead. While I was praying, facing the group in the small chapel, and with my back to the font, I heard a beautiful men's choir singing from the font area behind me. After ending my prayer, I turned around to see who was singing, and no one was there. Afters a sister from the office area came out and asked who was singing such beautiful music. So only two of us, from all the people in the baptistry heard a choir of angels.

I find it interesting that sacred experiences like these, that only some have the veil lifted, while others don't.

I have pondered a lot about the veil recently.

What exactly is "the veil" and how does it work and operate?

I found an interesting article entitled "The Veil: Its Use and Abuse," about this topic found in the Church's Improvement Era of 1929. It was written by Professor N.L. Nelson, a professor of English at Brigham Young University.

I'd like to share some of his comments on the topic of "the veil."

"Where is the Veil?" Is it something outside of us or something within us? Does the Veil, for instance, hang in the air between me and my sainted mother who has just come into my room? I do not see her, but she may easily be there, blessing and encouraging me, for all that. In the temple, while taking their endowments, men and women often see those for whom work is being done, and sometimes hear what they interpret to be a heavenly choir. Is there a veil of sight and sound surrounding others in the same company—others who do not see and hear these things?

Happily the question is answered by no less an authority than the Prophet Joseph Smith, when he said, "the veil was taken from our minds, and the eyes of our understanding were opened." The Veil, or barrier between the spiritual and the natural world, lies deep within the soul itself; just as do the rosy morn, the vivid flash of lightning and the startling crash of thunder.

A veil is different from a wall or a chasm, either of which might completely shut off communication. A veil may, indeed, be opaque at one extreme, if its material be black; but at the other, it may be almost transparent, if it be made of filmy white. Between these two poles are all degrees of translucency. Then, too, a veil is a movable scene: it can be lifted or drawn close. Also silhouettes from the other side are often visible upon its surface. It is, moreover, an effective screen only as its sacredness is acquiesced in. Men may violate that sacredness at will; for a veil rarely fails to give up messages more or less distorted to the Paul Pry who sits with all his senses strained to detect its secrets. All these various meanings, applicable to a human veil, say, the veil between adjoining apartments, have real analogies when applied to the mysterious curtain which at once shuts out and yet reveals the spiritual world behind and within the natural world; which various analogies it is hoped this discussion may further serve to show.

Let us next consider the other extreme of the Veil, that which approaches transparency. This is the achievement of prophet, seer, and revelator, and of those choice spirits on earth who have learned to "live in the light as he is in the light." It is the possible goal of every man and woman who has made covenants with God in sacred places; the possible, let us say, but still rarely achieved in mortality; for it means a life of such consecration to righteousness as to insure an unbroken stream of truthness from the Source of all truth. Many, indeed, are called, but few are chosen.

In helping us to understand the veil Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, 

Without the veil, we would lose that precious insulation which would constantly interfere with our mortal probation and maturation. Without the veil, our brief mortal walk in a darkening world would lose its meaning-for one would scarcely carry the flashlight of faith at noonday and in the presence of the Light of the World. Without the veil, we could not experience the gospel of work and the sweat of our brow. If we had the security of having already entered into God's rest, certain things would be unneeded; Adam and Eve did not clutch social security cards in the Garden of Eden. ("Patience," p. 219.)

The partition which produces [premortal forgetfulness] is something we call the veil-a partition the presence of which requires our patience. We define the veil as the border between mortality and eternity; it is also a film of forgetting which covers the memories of earlier experiences. This forgetfulness will be lifted one day, and on that day we will see forever-rather than "through a glass, darkly" (1 Cor. 13:12). ("Patience," p. 219.)

We are cocooned, as it were, in order that we might truly choose. Once, long ago, we chose to come to this very setting where we could choose. It was an irrevocable choice. And the veil is the guarantor that our ancient choice will be honored. ("Patience," p. 220.)

Fortunately, the veil keeps the first, second, and third estates separate, hence our sense of separateness. The veil insures the avoidance of having things "compound in one"-to our everlasting detriment. (2 Ne. 2:11.) (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, p. 11.)

The veil (which is both the film of forgetting and the border between mortality and eternity) will, one day, be shown to have been a succoring screen for us earthlings. Were it possible to breach it on the wrong terms, we would see and experience, before we are ready, things that would moot much of the value in this mortal experience. (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, p. 11.)

The veil of death stands, not to forever shut us out but as a reminder of God's tutoring and patient love for us. Brushing against it can produce a feeling of "Not Yet," but also faint whispers of anticipation. Then there is the still later and glorious moment when, in the words of the hymn, those who have prevailed "by the patience of hope and the labor of love" will hear in the final judgment these glad words, "Well and faithfully done; enter into my joy and sit down on my throne." (Hymns, no. 217.) ("Patience and the Law of the Harvest.")

For me, the veil seems very transparent at times. I am grateful that we have a knowledge that the Lord and his angels are very near and interested in our well-being and success as mortals working towards Godhood.

I hope that we, as a family, can stand in holy places, as we entertain angels unawares.

... for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Heb 13:2)

Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen. (D&C 87:8)

Love, Dad