Meridian of Eternity
. . .for just a moment in heavenly time the entire universe would focus on the mortal life of Jesus of Nazareth. The plan was finally going forward and if the spirits we all were had needed breath we would have been holding it in anticipation–for with that birth would also come death and depending on how that life was lived would come eternal death or immortality for all.
That lifetime on earth would be but less than an hour if calculated in heaven. That very hour in the middle of time. All time before was lived in anticipation and hope. All time after should be lived in peace and gratitude. All events on earth would be calculated from that center point. We number everything backwards before Christ—forward since that first Christmas. Maybe things are measured from that same center point in all of the Father’s creations. Is our meridian of time the meridian of eternity?

Patriot Dreams Come True
This season we pause to savor the blessings of patriot dreams fulfilled. Revolutionary patriots and faithful pioneers all envisioned a free and prosperous posterity harvesting amber waves of grain in the shadows of majestic purple mountains. If they did not actually view the future they at least knew the value of sacrifice and work. Each knew that rewards unrealized would create a legacy for their heirs.
We dwell in the heritage of those visions. And no people have been more blessed. In spite of the myriad of trials we encounter or create in our lives, the environment we grow in is as rich in opportunity, comfort, and freedom as ever enjoyed by any people. The fulness of the gospel envelops us and our temple watches over us. They could not have left us more.
Now is the time to trust our heritage and our God. Cradled in the blessing of patriot and pioneer dreams come true we have to ask, “Was their sacrifice worth it all?” They must have had a purpose. Everything we have been blessed with sets the scene for us to succeed in our quest for eternal life. Our forefathers have given us that which we would give our children: standards and discipline, peace and comfort, freedom and opportunity, truth and ordinances. Our greatest tribute to the patriots and pioneers is to trust the offering and make our lives worthy of their sacrifice.

Doctrine and Covenants

This book,
A warning to all men,
Declares the greatest covenants of heaven.
Through voice of warning, promises are made.
Thus by commandment God prepares our way.

They prayed
And heavens unrestrained
Poured visions down like sudden summer rain.
Latter-day truth once scattered on the lands
Now rolls forth like the stone cut without hands

They saw
Arrayed in spotless white
The Savior standing on the Father’s right.
Their mortal eyes withstood the brightest sun.
We through them see the Father and His Son.

They bled.
Their testament is sealed,
For by the martyrs blood was truth revealed.
The words they left will never leave again
Doctrines from God, and Covenants with man.

He lives.
The testament is given.
Add this to all the witnesses of heaven,
And know that through the strength of righteous men
The powers and truths of God prevail again.

On the Path

. . . Dave was the Varsity advisor. We took the boys camping together. And we had great talks. But my favorite memory is of the image I have of the time we tired of the boys refusing to plan and prepare meals together. They seemed to enjoy cold cereal and colder hot dogs in their tents.
We took them to Stansbury Island to camp on the beach. We took a few extra preparations for our dinner. It’s amazing what you can cook in a small covered charcoal grill. And I will never forget the smile on Dave’s face and the anguish on the boy’s faces behind his as they circled our card table complete with white linen and candelabra and watched as we used our real silver to eat Caesar salad, Cornish game hens with an lovely orange sauce, fluffy rice with gravy, steamed carrots with pineapple glaze, and hot rolls. I don’t remember the dessert but the point had been well made by then. I can see Dave’s smiling face now. No, he’s laughing.
Dave is happier today than he has ever been
He feels saddened only by your mourning
His faith in an after-life has been confirmed
He appreciates the value of the covenants that he kept
He is free of pain
Free of discouragement
There is beauty all around
There is peace
He left here with a promise in his hand and in his great but weakened heart. He had his covenants and doctrines that are now to him truths confirmed.

By the Spirit

….but even good intentions may not be enough. Some times we don’t realize that those we teach are not receiving the message that we think we’re giving. Let me illustrate with a somewhat kinder, gentler example:
A programmer who worked in my office had brought her two young sons by late one afternoon. She introduced them to Dave who was working at a computer. The four year-old caught on fast. Soon he was running around asking astute questions like, “Hi Dave, is that your pencil?” or, “Hi Dave, what’s your name?” ..and so forth. He soon wandered into the back room where Mark was working on a different computer. He cheerfully greeted Mark with a friendly, “Hi Dave, what ya doin?” Well his mother overheard him and carefully explained that this was Mark in this room and the man in the other room was Dave. Now we were getting both “Hi Daves”, and “Hi Marks”. Pretty clever. But then the plot thickened. Time for a shift change. Depart Mark, enter Bill who sat down at Mark’s computer. Now, Bill and Mark are not really look-alikes. Mark is 24 and has a whole head of hair. Bill is about 39 and is totally bald. Well, it didn’t take long for our four year-old friend to come bouncing back into the room. He pulled up short, sized-up Bill carefully, and then confidently said, “Hi Mark, … Where’s your hair?” (To this day, when things get too serious around the office, that line always gets a laugh.)
His mom probably thought that she was tying the names to the faces, when she had really tied the names to the places.

Bound To Be Free

So, here’s the way I think it really works. We come to a point in our lives when we begin to know the truth and we long for the truth to make us free. We want to be free from the guilt and sins and disobediences of our past. We want the powers of the priesthood in our lives. We want the right to the Holy Ghost as a companion. And so what do we do? We make a covenant. We accept restrictions, self-imposed, upon our life. We agree to go and sin no more. We submit to laws of health, finance, service, morality, and love. We subject ourselves to the will and name of Christ. We promise to serve our fellow men.
Are we then bond or free? What would the world say?
“How can you live under such restrictions? Can’t you guys do anything? Get a life.”
Thanks, we already have one. We are free. Free to partake of the Spirit. Free to feel the unspeakable joy and peace that “they” may never understand let alone experience. And how do we continue our quest for freedom through the gospel? By continuing to add self-imposed commitment and restriction to our lives
Ultimately, when we have practiced obedience and the wise use of agency, we are permitted to go to the temple and make the most restrictive and binding covenants of our lives. –to solemnly commit to uphold all of the required laws of heaven. In return we are promised the fulness of the Father, and worlds without end. Freedom and power to create and procreate. Freedom to traverse and expand the very universe. Total freedom. Under total law. Acting in obedience to all law.

Choose To Be Changed

How long shall ye halt between two opinions
If the Lord be thy God, follow Him.
How long will ye waiver between two dominions?
If the Son is thy King, follow Him.

Choose ye this day to be born of the Spirit.
Choose to be changed.
Choose the Light.
Choose the Life.
Let a miracle work in your heart, in your spirit.
Choose to be changed.
Surrender to Christ.

Christ changes men and changed men change the world.
As they follow His steps, follow them.
They set fire in us all as they burn with the Spirit.
Soon the whole world can be born again.

What think ye of Christ?–is our challenge from Jesus.
Have we sung songs of redeeming love?
Will we be born again and receive of His image?
Is the change of our heart from above?

Choose to be one who shall stand as His witness.
Bear ye His name.
Be consumed in His will.
Feast on His words and sit down at His table.
Choose to be changed.
Unto life eternal.

Shelter
October clouds roll toward us from the west. Windows close against the chill and are quickly splotched with wet then splattered with white. Cover the boat. Cover the tomatoes. Cover your head. The fun is done. Get back to school. Get back to work. No more escapes. No more shelter from our problems in summer diversions. Real life is back and it’s time to find safe refuge from our pressures and cares. Time to find methods of coping and solving.
May I be so bold as to suggest that the greatest shelter is in true doctrine? We often look for new answers when the safety is in revealed truth. Sometimes we wonder where the spiritual answers are when all the while the solutions lay waiting in familiar principles.
Many of us are disappointed when faith and testimony don’t seem to be enough to sustain us in our relationships or our finances. We seek satisfaction and fulfillment. We despair when our prayers die unreplied. We run to psychologists and perscriptionists to tell us we are the victims of unwarranted guilt. Have we avoided the principles we already know to be true? Are we ignoring known doctrine in the normal course of our lives? Could there be some “old” doctrines that we have set aside? Do we always remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy? Do we honor father and mother with love and respect? Are there no other gods before us? Do we do unto others as we would have them do unto us? Do we love our neighbors as ourselves? Do we use our callings to consecrate our lives? Do we prize purity? Do we love the Word of Wisdom? Do we joy in our tithes and offerings?

Testimony
….Of course, we must always separate honest human emotion and tender personal feelings from the true warmth added by the Holy Ghost. This difference is learned as we progress grace to grace and come to know and act upon the things we learn by the spirit. We must try not to look so hard for earthly empirical evidence of things spiritual. Definitions of spiritual things are really very subjective. In an attempt to explain this subjective meaning of life to a daughter, I once wrote that:
- Music isn’t ever written -­ all the songs were always present. All we have to do is listen. If we like we sing along.
- Testimonies are like music ­­ independent pre-existent once forgotten dejavu’s that linger back then walk beside us when we coax, cajole, sustain.
- Words of scripture have no meaning but embody truth incarnate. Meaning comes in rays of spirit and has naught to do with words.

So, can I tell you what my testimony feels like? Describe Texas chili to an Eskimo. Describe the flavor of chocolate or licorice.