To me, two of the most fascinating items the Lord gives to mankind are the coats of skins given to Adam and Eve before they’re expelled from the Garden of Eden. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. … Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. The canon doesn’t specifically carry on the story of the coats of skins, but other non-scriptural sources... Read more
Zion has this glorious connotation, a vision of community and strength and unity compassed by the glory of God. The Lord identifies Zion’s citizens as “the pure in heart.” The Lord commanded His people to build Zion—as a physical place and a personal state of being. He’s given commandment that applied to the initial restorers of His latter-day kingdom and continues to apply to all covenant keepers now. For Zion must increase in beauty, and in holiness; her borders must be enlarged; her stakes must be strengthened;... Read more
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Waiting hasn’t ever been easy for me. In response to Temple Changes I Can’t Experience Yet, I looked for examples of waiting in latter-day scriptures. My main takeaway was that angels are waiting to reap the earth and sometimes we have to wait to be adequately prepared for things to come. The waiting because of adequate preparation reminded me of President Russell M. Nelson’s plea that we not wait to prepare. [I]n coming days, it will not be possible to... Read more
Last week I enjoyed my last ordinance at the Laie Temple before it closed for its scheduled, two-week biannual cleaning. I inhaled deeply as I left the temple knowing I would miss my weekly plug-in time. Cleaning closure is expected. I didn’t expect any emotional upset about it during the next two weeks. Temple Changes While Our Temple Is Closed Late on New Year’s Day, a friend asked if I’d heard about impending temple changes and sent me something she’d... Read more
Shopping is not something I generally enjoy. I’m not sure how I missed that “female gene.” I used to joke about needing “retail therapy,” but I’ve swung pretty far back on the pendulum and now view shopping as a loathsome task. Still, there are activities I enjoy that involve shopping as foundational. In order to drop off goodies, I need groceries to make those goodies. And with that activity in mind, Christmas rapidly approached. With all of my Christmas shopping electronically... Read more
I remember when I attended seminary and first read Joel’s prophecy that handmaidens would prophesy and recognize signs of the times in the last days. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour... Read more
Little is written of Joseph who married Mary and became the mortal father of Jesus Christ. Historians prove that Joseph was an aged widower and a young man. Some think he had several children prior to his marriage to Mary. Others think he had several children with Mary. Still others think he had no children at all. The New Testament record begins as Matthew tells us Joseph descended from the tribe of Judah. Matthew comments that Mary was espoused to... Read more
Both of my grandmothers loved the temple and made great personal sacrifices to regularly attend. In their golden years, both of them served in the temple—my maternal grandmother in the Provo Temple and my paternal grandmother in the Arizona Temple. Grandma Leona Decides to Walk to the Temple in the Middle of Winter One very dark, frozen, winter morning, Grandma Leona dressed for her 5:00 AM shift at the temple. She never missed a day. She loved her shift and felt... Read more
During the 1990 fall semester of my sophomore semester at BYU Provo, I lived with my darling grandmother who was the in-home caretaker of Elfie Boyle. Our house was a mile or so from BYU campus. While I worked and went to school, grandma and Elfie watched their favorite TV shows. Both grandmothers avidly watched BYU football every Saturday afternoon. Grandma was the biggest BYU football fan I knew at the time. The initial months of 1990’s football season were... Read more
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