Wednesday, February 6th, 2019

Memphis, Tennessee

80th operating temple

Dedicated: 23 Apr 2000

By: James E. Faust

Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship

Luke 4:41

And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.

Book of Mormon

2 Nephi 1:30-2:10

How do you keep a balanced perspective on your dependence on God's grace and your desire to live righteously?

New Testament "Come Follow Me"

Luke 4:33-44

"Trust in the Lord" Marion G. Romney; Oct 1977

General Conference

Gather Together in One All Things in Christ

Elder David A. Bednar

"Truth faith is focused in and on the Lord Jesus Christ - in Him as the divine and Only Begotten Son of the Father and on Him and the redemptive mission He fulfilled. 'For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men.' Exercising faith in Christ is trusting and placing our confidence in Him as our Savior, on His name, and in His promises."

We got up this morning to snow and fog. We had planned on going to the temple today but after looking outside I tried to talk James into going tomorrow instead. He said he really wanted to go today because he already had his mind set. I said okay.

We brought in wet wood to dry out on the hearth. We had scriptures and prayer and I worked on my blog for awhile before going in to get ready for the temple. 

We left for the temple a little after 9 for the 10:30 session. It was slow going to Show Low and when we got there we headed straight for the carwash. The roads to Taylor and Snowflake were pretty clear, not any snow. 

It was freezing cold and windy at the temple. James made a joke. He said the pioneers upon entering Snowflake said: "We will stay here until the wind stops." That's how the town was founded by Mr. Snow and Mr. Flake.

I gave Kathy, a friend from high school, a hug upon entering. Judy, a friend from Vernon was also near the entrance. She teaches the temple prep class in our ward and she said that a member of our ward, Paula, would be going through the temple on Friday to take out her endowments. This is exciting news! Paula is an amazing person who does lots of community service and is always helping someone. I am so happy for her. Judy asked me to please let Tamara know. I said I would.

James and I sat across from each other for the first part of the endowment session. I must say that I am quite happy with the changes that were made in the endowment session athough now it is slides instead of a video.

We discussed who's names we wanted to put on the prayer roll and we divided them up. I put Harold's, Max's, and some people from the ward. James wanted to put Alex's and Sister Peeler.

So much for the car being washed. By the time we got home it was covered with mud again. 

After resting and walking I worked on my blog this evening.

James is anxious to get back to working at the temple, especially after going today and seeing that he could make it through a session.

 Our view outside this morning

This face makes me happy

Thursday, August 30th, 2018

Memphis, Tennessee

80th operating temple

Dedicated: 23 Apr 2000

By: James E. Faust

Jesus Christ, Crucifixion

John 19:37

And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

Book of Mormon

Alma 58:13-29

*What was Helaman's strategy to regain possession of the city of Manti?

- To outlast and outsmart the enemy. He had his men continue when he knew the enemy would be resting and he knew the city was left with few guards and would be easily overtaken. Sometimes we are required to outlast and outsmart our enemy. With the help of the Lord this is possible.

Old Testament

Psalms 101-105

101 David sings of mercy and justice - He will forsake the company of evildoers.

102 The psalmist offers a prayer of the afflicted - Zion will be built up when the Lord appears in His glory - Though the heaven and earth perish, the Lord who created them will endure forever.

103 David exhorts the Saints to bless the Lord for His mercy - The Lord is merciful unto those who keep His commandments.

104 The Lord is clothed with honor and majesty - He makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flaming fire - Through His providence He sustains all forms of life - His glory endures forever.

105 Make the Lord's doings known among all men - Show His covenant with Abraham and His dealings with Israel - Touch not His anointed, and do His prophets no harm - Israel is to observe His laws.

General Conference

Prepare to Meet God

Elder Quentin L. Cook

"The scriptures give guidance for our most important relationships. The Savior taught that the first commandments was to 'love the Lord thy God.' And the second is to 'love thy neighbor as thyself.'

The Savior additionally explained that everyone is our neighbor. The Book of Mormon makes it clear that there must be no -ites, tribes, or classes. We must be united and equal before God."

One other thing that I am reading that I forgot to mention is the BYU Old Testament Student Manual. Lots of explanations and information!

The Elkins', our new neighbors, purchased 244 acres next to us for $100,000. That is a steal. The land was in liquidation. Not only is it the land but there is a big well and James says the well by itself is worth $100,000. What a blessing for them. 

I worked upstairs and downstairs today, changing sheets and bringing in clean towels for Adam and his friends who are coming for a visit tomorrow.

James finally got Salvador's workmen's comp information and emailed it to National Turf. They should pay us for work completed on July 4th. I am so frustrated with this company!

Here is Charlie Mae's photo of the day as sent by her mother Kacey:

I can't even tell you how much I love

this picture. She is precious!

We are feeding the missionaries this afternoon. We are having Mississippi Crockpot roast, creamy mashed potatoes, corn, salad and garlic knots. For dessert we are having bundt cake from Walmart, 4 different flavors. No, I didn't buy four cakes, it was like a sampler cake with 4 different flavors. Those mentioned were triple chocolate fudge, Louisiana Crunch, Sock It To Me, and Vanilla Bean. We had fun, as we were eating our dessert with Elder Bingham and Elder Bernecker, figuring out which one was Louisiana Crunch, and which one was Sock It To Me.

Right before the missionaries arrived we had a wind storm and a cloud burst. The wind blew our shade awning up against the house. As soon as the rain stopped James went out to fix it. He also finished up the final preparations for the meal so I could go in and take a bath and get ready for Elder Bingham and Elder Bernecker.

I had started to rice to potatoes but just wasn't strong enough so he did it for me. 

After dinner and Elder Bernecker had shared a couple of scriptures, the elders left. They were looking forward to sports night at the church. They are also teaching two men, one is a fireman.

James made a deal with me. He said if I would go with him to the Howard's he would do the dishes. Sounded like a good deal to me. Jean was still at the hospital with Tom when we arrived. Hunter drove up and she went with us down to the bunkhouse to answer some questions James had about the light fixtures.

I helped James just a little with the kitchen. There was a lot of cleanup and dishes. When he was finished I read a chapter to him from "The Secret Keeper." I was going to do some planning and reading but I was just too tired. We both finished our "steps" and then went to bed before 9:30!

What a library!