OUR FAMILY: 18th operating temple

Tokyo, Japan

18th operating temple

Dedicated: 27-29 Oct 1980

By: Spencer W. Kimball

Jesus Christ, Creation

Acts 14:15

And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:

Book of Mormon

Alma 24:7-18

*What are you willing to "bury" to keep your testimony bright?

- "I will bury my pride. I will bury y desire to do everything on my own and I will ask for and recognize the hand of the Savior in every detail of my life...I will grow the fruits of forgiveness, humility, gratitude, and discipleship."

*President Boyd K. Packer on the Atonement of Jesus Christ:

"When we are tormented by guilt or burdened with grief, He can heal us. While we do not fully understand how the Atonement of Christ was made, we can experience 'the peace of God, which passeth all understanding (Philippians4:7). We all make mistakes. Sometimes we harm ourselves and seriously injure others in ways that we alone cannot repair. We break things that we alone cannot fix. It is then in our nature to feel guilt and humiliation and suffering, which we alone cannot cure. That is when the healing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ will help. The Lord said, 'Behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent' (DC 19:16)...

The Atonement of Jesus Christ has practical, personal, everyday value; apply it in your life. It can be activated with so simple a beginning as prayer. You will not thereafter be free from trouble and mistakes but can erase the guilt through repentance and be at peace" (Ensign, May 2001, 23-24).

Old Testament

1 Chronicles 19-20

19 The Ammonites insult David's messengers and plan war against Israel - David defeats the Ammonites and the Syrians.

20 The Ammonites are overcome - Israel defeats the Philistines.

General Conference

Prepare to Meet God

Elder Quentin L. Cook

"These keys, restored in the Kirtland temple, provide the 'power from on high' for divinely appointed responsibilities that constitute the primary purpose of the Church. On that wonderful Easter day in the Kirtland Temple, three keys were restored:
First, Moses appeared and committed the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, which is missionary work.
Second, Elias appeared and committed the keys of the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, which includes the restoration of the Abrahamic covenant.
Third, Elijah appeared and committed the keys of the sealing power in this dispensation, which is family history work and temple ordinances enabling salvation for the living and the dead.
There are, under the direction of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, three executive councils at Church headquarters that oversee these divinely appointed responsibilities based on the keys that were restored in the Kirtland Temple. They are the Missionary Executive Council, the Priesthood and Family Executive Council, and the Temple and Family History Executive Council."

Sheri's Isle of Skye photos finally came through on Instagram. Also, at 3 a.m. I got an email from White Cap with a charge for $2,129.00. I verified with James and it's legit. The job has commenced.

I can't find my Maxwell book that tells where the Maxwell lived in Scotland. I should have been looking for it long before Kim asked for it. Darn!

I have to share this from the Old Testament Student Manual, Volume 2, p. 68:

Why Did the Jews Misinterpret Prophecy Regarding the Deliverer?

As the years passed and the messianic expectation remained unfulfilled, the Jews interpreted the sayings and writings of the prophets erroneously. The deeper they fell into apostasy, the more they lost sight of the true meaning of the prophecies. But it is not surprising that they came to see only the political aspects of the Messiah, for there was some scriptural basis for such a belief. Several hundred years before the birth of Christ Zechariah wrote of a day when the Lord (Messiah) would fight against the Jewish enemies "as when he fought in the day of battle (anciently)" (Zechariah 14:3). Zechariah pictured Jerusalem being delivered in great power from all who had opposed her (see Zechariah 14:1-15). Isaiah spoke of the Messiah as having the government upon his shoulder (Isaiah 9:6). That phrase certainly suggested a political kingdom. Numerous other prophets foretold His coming in power and glory.

When one studies the prophecies carefully, however, a dual picture of the Messiah emerges. One picture is that of the "suffering servant." Isaiah 53 is an outstanding example of the "suffering servant" kind of prophecy. It foretells the sufferings of the Messiah: he will be "a man of sorrows?? (v.3), one who stands "as a sheep before her shearers" (v. 7), one who takes man's transgressions upon himself. The other picture of the Messiah is that of the "King of Glory." Zechariah 14 and Isaiah 9 contain examples of the "King of Glory: prophecies, which paint a picture of deliverance, political power, and the destruction of the enemies of Israel.

Latter-day Saints, with the benefit of modern revelation and a perspective of history, easily understand this dualism. There are two comings of the Messiah. Christ came the first time as a mortal. He was born in a stable, lived in a town of little reputation, took no political role, and flatly rejected attempts to make him a king. This coming was foretold in the "suffering servant" prophecies. His second coming will be in fulfillment of the "King of Glory" prophecies. He will put down all kingdoms and deliver Israel from the powers of Babylon.

The tragedy is that the Jewish nation, for the most art, lost the understanding of the two comings. In their state of spiritual darkness, they looked only for a political deliverer.

Thus, when the Savior refused to take up the sword against Rome, the Jews' hopes were dashed. And his crucifixion was seen by the majority not as a fulfillment of prophecy but as the ultimate proof that he could not have been the promised deliverer.

From President Eyring's biography:

"Henry B. Eyring, Hal, was asked to join his friend, General Doriot, a professor at Harvard Business School, in the investment in a new up and coming company called DEC, (Digital Equipment Company), who had a dream of building small, user-friendly computers to compete with IBM's larger, more complex machines. Doriot's venture capital company had bought 70 percent of DEC for $70,000, a large investment at the time, and he wanted someone like Hal to help him oversee this and similar investments.

The offer made Hal wonder why his heart wasn't drawn to the kind of business opportunity. Hal realized that what he loved about business wasn't making products or doing deals. It was thinking critically about complex problems. For the first time he thought, Maybe I should stay in school and become a professor. General Doriot, who would remain Hal's lifelong friend and mentor, too graciously Hal's decision to decline. In ten years the $70,000 investment in DEC became worth $355 million."

I got a phone call this morning while I was working in the laundry room. It was my friend Jean. Her husband, Tom, was in Taylor buying some hay and had locked his keys in the car. Jean has the extra key but needs a ride to Taylor. Of course I said I would take her.

After taking a few minutes to get ready I headed up the hill toward's Jean's house when a bigger car came barreling down the road. I wondered who it was and thought maybe Deana came home and was doing the errand for her mom. About that time Jean called me and wondered when I would be there. I told her in less than five minutes. As Jean got in the car she told me that was Sister Grapp who came to get the key from her to take it to Tom. (The Grapp children LOVE Tom). She told her thank you for the offer, but I was coming to take her to Taylor.

Using my GPS we put in the Taylor address and it told us to go down Bourdon Ranch Road instead of going into Show Low and turning at the corner by Maverick, the usual way to go to Taylor and Snowflake. I followed direction and the route was a pleasant surprise. It was paved the entire way until we actually got to where Tom was. He was waiting patiently.

Tom and Jean offered to pay for my gas but I declined. They then offered to take me to lunch at Trapper's Restaurant. I accepted. I have wanted to eat at Trapper's for awhile now.

Nothing fancy but my BLT was delicious and the coconut cream pie I had for dessert was divine.

Jean and Tom have had a bear come to their home at least twice in the past couple of weeks. It came right up to the window the last time and Tom yelled at it to scare it away. They called an officer from the Game and Fish Department to come and relocate the bear. He came, shot a tranquilizer at the bear, but missed. The next time while he was there, he got a call from his wife who lives not far from Tom and Jean. She said the bear was at their house and he needed to hurry home!

As I was driving home, I noticed there were huge fluffy clouds just to the east of us near Springerville. I texted James and told him we were "Right on the edge again." He knew what I was talking about because it happens so often.

James, to my surprise, was home from the valley around 4 p.m. I was working and the computer and didn't hear him come in. When I turned around and he was standing there, I jumped and yelled. He laughed.

James stayed at Sheri and Ian's with Ollie and Michael. He said that Ollie would bark at him, stop barking while he petted him, and then bark again. It probably was annoying to Michael when Ollie started barking everytime James got up to use the bathroom and when he left for work at 4 a.m.

I worked on the RS Newsletter this afternoon and my preparation for leading this month's RS council meeting this Sunday.

James walked and so did I so we could get our steps before going to bed.