Wondering

From my admittedly imperfect point of view, wondering seems to me to be the key to many great discoveries. Scientists wonder. Clerics wonder. Philosophers wonder. Mathematicians wonder. Artists wonder. We all wonder many times in our lives about many things.

Practiced Ease

I have always been fascinated by the organ in the Tabernacle at Temple Square (and now, by the one in the Conference Center too). When I was very young, the organ seemed to be magical to me. It was impossibly huge, and the music it made was fascinating and mysterious. I couldn’t imagine where it came from. It had always existed as far as I was concerned, and was just part of the Tabernacle, which had always existed too. But www.lds.org describes the real history of the organ briefly:

Teaming with the Lord

The Savior has told us from Old Testament times that he would team with us to make our burdens lighter, to work out our salvation, and to advocate for us with the Father. In Leviticus 26:12-13 Jehovah tells us:

Your Personal Tree of Life

Behold the Cashew! A most unique fruit; both the seed and the fruit are highly edible and enjoyable, but the seed (nut) is difficult to obtain and the apple has a very short useful life.

Smoked Oysters

We learned to appreciate canned smoked oysters – a lifelong favorite – in Panama City, Florida. The Branch President and his wife showed up one Monday evening at our little beach house with a tin of smoked oysters, some sharp cheddar cheese, butter, Ritz crackers, and cocktail sauce. Once they got us to try them, we discovered that we loved them. Usually, they are a New Year’s Eve delicacy served just as we learned to eat them, and with sparkling apple cider. YUM!

The Tinsel in the Wall Plug

About Christmastime when I was 15 years old, with the tree all decorated, I wondered what would happen if I took a piece of the lead tinsel we still used then and fed it through the holes in the ends of a light plug, and plugged it in. Not exactly a genius move.

Instantaneous loud POP, louder than a gunshot, and a black streak a foot long up the wall!

Sustained Discipleship

We all struggle with living the gospel as we should in mortality. It’s not called “an opportunity to prove ourselves” for nothing. You would think that after we have some understanding of the truthfulness of the gospel, and after we have acquired basic gospel knowledge, that we would see a clear path to follow back to the Father’s presence and we would just walk the straight and narrow to eternal glory. 

This Country Will Never Fail

Another timely reprint: this article was first published in June of 2010. It seems just as pertinent today. I was inclined to apologize for the length of this article, but on second thought, it is probably not long enough.

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I have read a great deal recently about the dire straits our great country is passing through.

I have read that our present leadership will, in fairly short order, cause the demise of democracy as we know it, that we should probably start building underground shelters again, and stockpile food, weapons, and ammunition against the coming anarchy.

Unhistoric Acts

Editor's note: I have decided to republish some of my older posts which I consider to be worth reviewing again. They were posted early in the history of this blog and so received few visits. Please read and enjoy.
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I have thought a lot over the last few years about the good but largely anonymous lives of millions of people scattered over the earth. They live quietly, and die just as quietly. They go to graves everywhere to silently await the resurrection. There is often a memorial service of some kind depending on custom in their culture. There is sadness, and sometimes heartbreak if death is untimely. The living remember them briefly, but soon, they are all but forgotten by nearly everyone as the world rushes onward. Cemeteries the world over are full of such unheralded people. Some of them are visited on Memorial Day by relatives and friends, but after a generation or two, they are mostly left alone.

Priesthood Power -- Modern Miracles

In today’s sectarian and religious circles, the idea that there are modern miracles occurring even as we speak is controversial at best, and at worst, rejected outright. Many folks don’t believe anything they can’t see, or touch, or explain logically. Of course, there are those who believe that miracles do still occur regularly. Other pundits on the internet admit that there were miracles in Old and New Testament times, but insist that the age of miracles ended with the death of the Savior and the original apostles..

Stand Ye in Holy Places

Doctrine and Covenants 87:8

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.

Holy places may, at times be in the midst of the most troubling and dire of circumstances.  The Lord has told us in D&C 6:32:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, as I said unto my disciples, where two or three are gathered together in my name, as touching one thing, behold, there will I be in the midst of them—even so am I in the midst of you.