Photographed For A Temple Mural

Being photographed by Howard Lyon

On 18 April, Kim and I had the AMAZING opportunity of being photographed.

Now, some of you might not be thrilled at the prospect of being photographed, but that's probably because you haven't been photographed under the proper conditions.

Here are the proper conditions:

1. You must be photographed by a professional artist.

2. Those photographs must be used for a Temple mural.

Well, whaddaya know?! Kim and I met both of those qualifications last Thursday!

A few months ago, I found out that my friend, Howard Lyon, was asked by the Church to do the murals for the Gilbert, Arizona Temple. He asked me if Kim and I were interested in being photographed for one of those murals.

I believe my answer came out in stutters.

So Kim and I planned a work trip around the photo shoot drove out to Arizona last Wednesday and posed for The Sermon on the Mount.

How cool is that?!?

During the shoot, Howard said something that I think is worth repeating. Said he: "In this photo, you're listening to Christ speak. Remember, not everyone at that time knew he was the Savior. If it was undeniable that he was the Savior, then he wouldn't have been crucified. In everything we do, Christ wants us to exercise faith."

I thought that was very profound. Even for the people who walked with Christ, faith was still a challenge. Faith is hard. Faith is work. And God will always require us to exercise our faith.

Anyway, Howard and Shari (his wife) both told Kim that she was a perfect model; not only is she a very relaxed on camera (she's a talented actress), but she also has some very Middle-Eastern facial features. When I asked how I did, they chuckled and said: "You're Seth."

I don't know if I should be delighted or offended...

In any case, thank you Howard and Shari! You're wonderful people and I'm glad we're friends (even if we can't remember how we met)!

Our Will

Not My Will, But Thine - by Walter Rane

Our Bishop gave a humble, yet profound lesson on Sunday.

He talked about what the Gospel (and the Easter Celebration) really means. The term "gospel," as many of you may know, means the "good news." But in the Book of Mormon, Jesus describes the gospel to mean this:

Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me. (3 Nephi 27:27)

We talked about that for quite a while—about how most of what we do as part of "gospel living," is more about showing our faith in God: about being obedient and being willing to sacrifice. The act of obedience and sacrifice is what makes us holy (incidentally, the word "sacrifice' originally meant "to make sacred").

I thought about Abraham, the early Mormon Pioneers, and the Savior—all of these people sacrificed many things in obedience to the gospel. They surrendered their will to the will of the God.

This is the gospel: to come into the world to sacrifice our will and obey the will of the Father.

A simple, yet hard doctrine.

Only the Gospel

The light of the First Vision cut
through the darkness of the world.

Sometimes I get caught up and discouraged by all of the problems in the world: wars, pollution, domestic violence, debt, corruption, racial and gender divisions, and epic political problems. Sometimes, thinking about all of the problems—and trying to come up with solutions—is extremely overwhelming.

In thinking about all of these problems, this quote came to mind:

“We are commanded by God to take this gospel to all the world. That is the cause that must unite us today. Only the gospel will save the world from the calamity of its own self-destruction. Only the gospel will unite men of all races and nationalities in peace. Only the gospel will bring joy, happiness, and salvation to the human family.” (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988, p. 167.)

After recovering from depression and a suicide attempt by living the principles of the Restored Gospel, I believe it. But what do you think about that? I want to hear your opinions. How can the gospel save the world from the calamity of its own self-destruction?

The Donner Party and The Mormon Pioneers

The Mormon Pioneers

I recently drove through the Sierra-Nevada mountains, passing the area where many in the Donner Party had suffered and died. Coincidentally, I was listening to a Truman G. Madsen talk wherein he talked about the Donner Party and the Mormon Pioneers.

Here is a quote from that talk:

“[Brigham Young] said, ‘The sufferings of the wicked in crossing the plains have been far more severe than what had been endured of the Saints of the Most High. And when we talk of the difference in regard to the pangs of death, there is no comparison.’ Stegner observes, in comparing the Mormons who faced ever West, who sometimes had their hands frozen to the crossbar of the handcarts, who some of them died in each other’s arms, were not the same as the Donner party, who facing mountains of snow at Donner Pass finally lapsed into cannibalism. The sufferings of the wicked, he [Bro. Brigham] says, were much greater than the sufferings of the Saints. Why? Well, he then says, ‘In speaking of the paths of the righteous and the wicked, in the right hand there is joy, peace, comfort, light, and life while in the left hand there is nothing but darkness, misery, sorrow, and death. And while it is joy and peace to be a servant of God, it is sorrow and affliction to be wicked.’

Something worth considering.

Cracked Foundations

For some reason, I keep thinking about the initial foundation of the Salt Lake Temple.

In 1852, after ten years of hard labor, the foundation cracked because the Mormon pioneers had used too much mortar to fill the gaps between the stones. To say that the Saints were discouraged was probably an understatement.

Even Brigham Young said: "There are nights when I lay awake for fear that I will never see this temple dedicated." But, the Prophet was determined to find the solution. As he sat upon one of the cracked foundation stones, he said, "I will not move from this spot until I know what to do." The answer came. All the foundation stones would have to be removed and replaced with stones cut to precise specifications. (Source)

I think about that so much. There's a lot to be learned from the faith of the early Mormon Pioneers. Today I thought about the importance of following a prophet, building a sure foundation upon true principles and about being willing to start over if necessary.

Because some things are so majestic that they worth the sacrifice and the perseverance.

The Salt Lake Temple

God Loves Me | Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou

While driving home, I heard this wonderful quote from Maya Angelou, a Civil Rights' activist overcame many difficult experiences. I thought I would share it with you.

"One day the teacher, Frederick Wilkerson, asked me to read to him. I was 24, very erudite, very worldly. He asked that I read from Lessons in Truth, a section which ended with these words: "God loves me." I read the piece and closed the book, and the teacher said, "Read it again." I pointedly opened the book, and I sarcastically read, "God loves me." He said, "Again." After about the seventh repetition I began to sense that there might be truth in the statement, that there was a possibility that God really did love me. Me, Maya Angelou. I suddenly began to cry at the grandness of it all. I knew that if God loved me, then I could do wonderful things, I could try great things, learn anything, achieve anything. For what could stand against me with God, since one person, any person with God, constitutes the majority? 

"That knowledge humbles me, melts my bones, closes my ears, and makes my teeth rock loosely in their gums. And it also liberates me. I am a big bird winging over high mountains, down into serene valleys. I am ripples of waves on silver seas. I'm a spring leaf trembling in anticipation."

(Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now, 1993)

Nephi, The Brass Plates, and Good Things

Question: why does God sometimes make good things difficult for us to attain?

Nephi and the Brass Plates

To put it another way, why does God command us to do things that are clearly good things—get an education, get married, have a family, live the gospel—but have us struggle to fulfill those commandments? What about people who are poor and struggle to get an education? What about people who are physically unable to have children? What about those who struggle with addictions and/or physical desires?

Answer: First of all, I don't believe that God intentionally makes things difficult for us—He might hedge our way to guide us toward a different path, but overall I believe He leaves us free to choose.

Secondly—and this is important—I've learned that when it comes to commandments and covenants, God is not asking things of us, He's asking things for us. Commandments, covenants, and principles are meant to bless and inspire us to a higher standard of living (God's way of life) and not burden us with feelings of inadequacy or guilt.

Third, I believe that in the process of trying to achieve that higher standard of living, God wants us to learn something about ourselves and about faith.

Take the story of Nephi and the Brass Plates. God commanded Nephi to go back to Jerusalem to get the Brass Plates (the scriptures) from the wicked Laban. Having the scriptures is clearly a good thing, yet Nephi and his brothers failed, many times, in their attempts to peacefully and righteously obtain the Brass Plates. It wasn't until Nephi learned to fully trust in God that He was able to attain the Brass Plates.

Worldly Applause

A sculpture of Christ by Angela Johnson

Today, I met with Angela Johnson, a famous sculptor and a dear friend of mine.

We chatted about a variety of spiritual things (as is our custom). We talked about worldly applause and how the world uses people to get what they want. Like a sunflower seed, the world chews us up and spits us out. When the performance is over, when the game has ended, when the election is lost, or when we've outlived our "usefulness," the world tosses us aside like garbage.

"It's very much like the message of the Prodigal Son," said Angela. "The world loves and parties with the Prodigal until he runs out of money, then they abandon him. God is the only one who never abandons him."

It made me wonder about my own proclivity to surrender my own beliefs for a round of applause, or the nod of approval from a passing Caesar.