I believe the busy person on the farm, in the shop, in the office, or in the household, who has his worries and troubles, can solve his problems better and more quickly in the house of the Lord than anywhere else. If he will leave his problems behind and in the temple work for himself and for his dead, he will confer a mighty blessing up on those who have gone before, and quite as large a blessing will come to him, for at the most unexpected moments, in or out of the temple, will come to him, as a revelation, the solution of the problems that vex his life. That is the gift that comes to those who enter the temple properly, because it is a place where revelation may be expected. I bear my personal testimony that this is so.

Widstoe, John A. “Temple Worship.” Genealogical Society of Utah. Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City. 12 Oct. 1920.

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The mere words of sealing may be easily spoken at the alters of the holy temples, but they are so full of meaning that any man with even a particle of imagination who witnesses or participates in the sealing ordinances must be overcome with the feeling of responsibility and opportunity and enjoyment that it carries with it

Widstoe, John A. “Temple Worship.” Genealogical Society of Utah. Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City. 12 Oct. 1920.

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Men grow mighty under the results of temple service; women grow strong under it; the community increases in power; until the devil has less influence than he ever had before. The opposition to truth is relatively smaller if the people are engaged actively in the ordinances of the temple.

Widstoe, John A. “Temple Worship.” Genealogical Society of Utah. Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City. 12 Oct. 1920.

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This past Sunday, I also taught a High Priest lesson about the Book of Mormon.

With those two things in mind, I wanted to post the famous quote by Parley P Pratt about how he first came across the Book of Mormon and how it made him feel.

We visited an old Baptist deacon by the name of Hamlin. After hearing of our appointment for evening, he began to tell of a book, a STRANGE BOOK, a VERY STRANGE BOOK! in his possession, which had been just published. This book, he said, purported to have been originally written on plates either of gold or brass, by a branch of the [p.19 consists of pictures.] tribes of Israel; and to have been discovered and translated by a young man near Palmyra, in the State of New York, by the aid of visions, or the ministry of angels. I inquired of him how or where the book was to be obtained. He promised me the perusal of it, at his house the next day, if I would call. I felt a strange interest in the book. I preached that evening to a small audience, who appeared to be interested in the truths which I endeavored to unfold to them in a clear and lucid manner from the Scriptures. Next morning I called at his house, where, for the first time, my eyes beheld the “BOOK OF MORMON” that book of books-that record which reveals the antiquities of the “New World” back to the remotest ages, and which unfolds the destiny of its people and the world for all time to come; that Book which contains the fulness of the gospel of a crucified and risen Redeemer; that Book which reveals a lost remnant of Joseph, and which was the principal means, in the hands of God, of directing the entire course of my future life.

I opened it with eagerness, and read its title page. I then read the testimony of several witnesses in relation to the manner of its being found and translated. After this I commenced its contents by course. I read all day; eating was a burden, I had no desire for food; sleep was a burden when the night came, for I preferred reading to sleep.

As I read, the spirit of the Lord was upon me, and I knew and comprehended that the book was true, as plainly and manifestly as a man comprehends and knows that he exists. My joy was now full…

Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, ed. Parley P. Pratt Jr. (1938), 36–37.

That is a fantastic quote. It makes you think about so much… Do I feel that way about the Book of Mormon? Has anything in the church ever made me feel like sleep was a burden? Does my knowledge of the Book of Mormon make me feel that my joy is full? I feel strong in the gospel, but I still have a long way to go!

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A month or two ago in our BYC (Bishopric Youth Committee) meeting, we were planning the youth and ward Halloween parties. One of the youth spoke up and reminded others not to wear masks, and another youth asked why. One of the adult leaders spoke up and said that many of the people in the mob that killed Joseph Smith wore masks, so the Church encourages people to not wear masks. Is that true? I thought it was just because masks are creepy and we like to know who we are talking to.

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Tim Powell remembers when the “Utah Mormons” first came to town with their plans in the early 1990s.

The Mormon faith’s first temple has stood for 174 years in Kirtland, Ohio, the site of the church’s headquarters in the 1830s.

They wanted to recreate a historic village that would explain the role this city played as the Mormon Church’s headquarters in the 1830s and celebrate the fact that the faith’s first temple is here…

Mr. Powell, who has lived in Kirtland all his life and been on the City Council for 14 years, and some others did not like the idea. He had read how Mormons had swept into two other towns that played significant roles in the church’s founding — Palmyra, N.Y., and Nauvoo, Ill. — resulting in conflicts with non-Mormons.

“In other places you could see the Mormons were taking over those towns,” said Mr. Powell, 55.

Mr. Powell fought the church’s project every step of the way, worried, he said, about allowing such a relatively large tourist development in the middle of town.

But now, eight years after it was completed, Mr. Powell concedes that he was wrong. “I was a skeptic,” he said. “But now that the dust has settled, I think people are pretty happy with it.”

I’ve never been to Nauvoo, but if I had to choose between Palmyra and Kirtland, I’d choose Kirtland in a second. I love going through the temple, and walking around the “Historic Kirtland” area. I also love the quarry. I know what you see isn’t from the same time frame, but you can still get a pretty good idea of what they had to do to get stone for the temple.

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When the Latter-day Saints come to town, much work gets done — beyond Hill Cumorah.

During their stay, cast members from the pageant provide more than 1,800 hours of volunteer labor in Wayne and Ontario counties. They do everything from pull weeds and mulch gardens to clean high school lockers and paint picnic pavilions.

On an related note, last week I posted about how I wondered if the new passport laws would affect how many people from Ontario went to the Hill Cumorah Pageant. There were several members of my ward who went last week, and they said the place was only half full. However, there was the normal group of protestors yelling crazy things at the visitors.

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The timeline focuses on technological and organizational developments rather than on what is written or broadcast in the media. It charts the church’s adoption of new technologies including telegraph, film, radio, television and Internet. It also looks at the introduction of church-produced media such as Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcasts, Web sites like FamilySearch and the beginnings and endings of church newspapers and magazines. She also notes major events that received extensive coverage by non-Mormon media.

I haven’t had time to read the entire thing, but I’ve skimmed over it, and it looks very interesting.

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Doctrine and Covenants 21 was received on April 6, 1830. A portion of the section mentions how we should listen to Brother Joseph (and the other seers, translators, prophets, and apostles of Jesus Christ) and promises protection:

Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;
For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.
For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.
For thus saith the Lord God: Him have I inspired to move the cause of Zion in mighty power for good

I’m thankful I’m a part of this great work and know that it is true.

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Today (March 27) marks the anniversary of the dedication of the Kirtland Temple. The Kirtland Temple itself is a great example of what they would do for their leader. An announcement of a temple today is almost boring. It seems like every General Conference has a couple of them announced. But back then, hearing that they were going to build a temple must have been exciting and terrifying at the same time. They built it at great cost, and were only able to enjoy it for a brief period of time. One of my favourite things is going to the quarry up the street. You can see marks in the rocks where previous people were working. These are NOT marks from the early saints, but it gives you an idea of what they had to do to get the stone out. You can imagine Brother Joseph working shoulder to shoulder with the others to make the vision become a reality.

The prayer offered at the dedication of the temple is contained in D&C 109. The prayer is beautiful, but I particularly appreciate verse 22:

And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them;

I do enjoy my time at the temple, and do feel more “powerful” after attending. Those words seem applicable to all temples.

You can see some pictures of one of trips to Historic Kirtland (taken several years ago) here and here, pictures of the Kirtland Temple here, pictures of the Newel K. Whitney store here, and the John Johnson farm here.

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