Devil’s “Kingdom”

The “kingdom of the devil” is actually a misnomer. It is never well organized because of the jealousy, ambition, self-interest and greed of those attracted to his agenda. It destroys, but cannot create. It collapses from its own contradictions. This is why when the devil claims to “rule from the rivers to the ends of the earth” what you behold on the pages of history are plagues, despair, war, chaos and conflict.

We are getting an interesting display of what the “devil’s kingdom” looks like in modern politics. A cacophany of discordant foolishness that results in destroying, not creating, dependency, not sufficiency, and anger, not peace.

These forces excite interest and attract attention.

Zion, on the other hand, is rather bland and disinteresting. No fighting. No conflict. No intrigue. No hostility. Just quiet cooperation and labor to provide sufficient and to spare.

Therefore Zion will hold little interest for most of the world. Too bland. Too simple. Too uninteresting for today’s headlines.

Ahh, if only we could control our compulsion for conflicts.

Restoration Conference

This next week I will be speaking at another Restoration Conference. The website is linked HERE. This is the third year a conference about the restoration has been held. Speakers come from different traditions that acknowledge Joseph Smith as the founder. The conference this year celebrates the 200 year anniversary of the First Vision.

Last week I spoke at a Unity in Humanity Interfaith conference. The conference was recorded and is available to watch on YouTube.

Later this month I have agreed to do an interview. Once it is recorded I will put up on this site to a link for that website.

“Real Intent”

The Book of Mormon uniquely uses the term “real intent.” “Real intent” is required for acceptable prayer: “it [is] counted evil unto a man if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart.” And, to obtain the gift of the holy ghost, real intent is mandatory: “I know that if ye shall follow the Son with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ by baptism — yea, by following your Lord and Savior down into the water according to his word — behold, then shall ye receive the holy ghost.”

Repentance is also dependent upon “real intent” to obtain forgiveness: “But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness with real intent, they were forgiven.”

The best description of “real intent” comes from the resurrected Nephi, who appeared to Joseph Smith and revealed the existence of a buried record. After informing Joseph of the plates and departing, Nephi returned and after repeating the same message again, he added this: “a caution to me, telling me that Satan would try to tempt me (in consequence of the indigent circumstances of my father’s family) to get the plates for the purpose of getting rich. This he forbid me, saying that I must have no other object in view in getting the plates but to glorify God, and must not be influenced by any other motive but that of building his kingdom, otherwise I could not get them.”

This is Joseph Smith’s best explanation of “real intent.” He got it from an angel.

Christ continually alluded to “real intent” as He explained His ministry: When praying for those who believed in and would follow Him: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also who shall believe on me through their word, that they all may be agreed as one as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be agreed as one in us, that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

When answering a question about His Father, Christ explained: “If you had known me, you should have known my Father also, and from henceforth you know him and have seen him. …He that has seen me has seen the Father. And how can you then say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwells in me. He does the works.”

When praying and suffering in Gethsemene, He acknowledged His submission to the Father’s will: “O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

When He defined who He was to the Nephites, His identity was tied directly to submission to the Father: “I have drank out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.”

The tendency to seek our own will is evil. It is also evil to feign we cooperate with heaven, when our real desire is to get something from heaven. “Real intent” involves the authentic, complete submission to the will of Heaven because that has become your sole objective. Not to get a great reward. Not to negotiate some blessing here and now. Not to become great in the eyes of Heaven. Just to have no other object in mind than to glorify God. It is the intent to not be influenced by any other motive but building His kingdom.

Service to God mustn’t be done for another desire or motive, or it is not “real intent” and is accounted as evil.

God’s will should be good enough to justify seeking to do it. In the beginning it was not good enough to keep Adam and Eve awaiting the command to partake of knowledge of good and evil. Instead they acted in pursuit of something desirable to benefit them, even though it was not yet God’s will for them. They acted apart from God’s will. They transgressed because they rebelled.

Christ was the opposite of our first mortal parents. He acted only on His Parent’s will. He acted with “real intent” in all He said, did and thought.

Revealing

A newly published “revelation” in Volume 10 of the Joseph Smith Papers, Documents series is quite revealing, but not in the sense that the LDS church urges. It reveals the institutional need to vindicate later leaders by assuming a document is reliable if it helps support their position.

The “revelation” is dated 27 July 1842. The document was typed in April of 1912. It was something the typist got from his father, which he believed came from his grandfather. There is no original. And there is nothing in the journals, diaries or other sources prepared contemporaneously by Joseph Smith or any of his known scribes.

There is little doubt that this provenance for the document would result in it being questioned and likely rejected as an authentic and reliable piece of history, if not for its content. The content suggests something that has haunted and complicated LDS church history since 1852. Before a general conference announcement by Orson Pratt in 1852, polygamy was a taboo subject.

All of Joseph Smith’s public acts and statements about multiple wives denounced the idea as immoral adultery. Public awareness of adultery in Nauvoo began in early May 1842 because the Mayor of Nauvoo, John C. Bennett was excommunicated for adultery. Joseph Smith condemned Bennett, exposed his wrongdoing, and spoke against this adulterous “spiritual wifery” advocated by Bennett.

Joseph investigated the widespread adultery in Nauvoo. He brought charges before the Nauvoo High Council to expose and uproot this sinful behavior. Joseph spoke to the Relief Society about virtue and righteousness. Even John C. Bennett testified, “he never knew the said Smith to countenance any improper conduct whatever, either in public or private; and that he never did teach to me in private that an illegal illicit intercourse with females was, under any circumstances, justifiable; and that I never knew him so to teach others.” Times and Seasons, 1 July 1842, p. 841.

This new “revelation” was purportedly written on July 27, 1842. This was two months after Bennett’s exposure and excommunication on May 11, 1842. This was 26 days after the Bennett testimony about Joseph Smith’s refusal “to countenance any improper conduct, either in public or private.”

The July 27, 1842 document is important for the LDS church to recognize, accept and defend because it gives some faint support to connecting Joseph Smith with the teaching of plural wives. This document is helpful to LDS interests because the LDS church publicly advocated polygamy beginning in 1852, they claim to have preserved the religion founded by Joseph Smith, and they claim authority from him. Those claims are undermined if they cannot connect Joseph Smith to the practice.

There is no way to determine if the missing original was connected to Joseph Smith. There is no way to check to see if it was faithfully transmitted. There is no way to see if some of the language is interlineated. There is no way to compare if the same handwriting wrote the whole of the document, or if interlineated materials are in a different hand.

The document instructs Newel K. Whitney to seal his daughter Sarah to Joseph Smith. The only reference to “wife” in the sealing document is a parenthetical phrase appearing between two comas in the typewritten version. The language is: “…, to be his wife, …” and because it is typewritten and not the original there is no way to know if those words were there originally. This is important because, as I have explained elsewhere, Joseph Smith had one “sealing” version until October 1843, and at that time added another. The one added in October 1843 was “man to man sealing” or “adoption.” The purpose of all “sealing” was to tie the one sealed to Joseph Smith for salvation in the afterlife.

After Joseph Smith’s death, Sarah Whitney married Heber C. Kimball and bore 7 children. She had no children with Joseph Smith, and the JSP, Documents Vol. 10 acknowledges that “sealing was a salvific rite… It promised immortality and eternal life to Sarah Ann, and by extension her entire family, through her sealing to J[oseph] S[mith]. …no documentation exists as to whether Sarah Ann and JS’s relationship was sexual in nature.” P. 311.

I think Joseph Smith sealed others to him, men and women, as part of the plan of salvation. I think his interest was in saving others, not sexual relations with women other than Emma. All the children born of Joseph Smith came through Emma Smith alone.

This addition to the Joseph Smith Papers is a disappointment, given the dubious provenance of the document. At best it deserves only mention in a footnote. Wholesale endorsement of the document as reliable does not reflect well on the project. It smacks more of institutional protection than of good history preservation.

The document is a “revelation” primarily in what it reveals about the institution publishing the Papers.

Email about Adam and Eve

I got an email inquiry after my last post. The inquiry raised the issue of potential Deuteronomist corruption of the account of Adam and Eve. I responded:

The damage done by the Deuteronomists did not have any effect on the Brass Plates maintained by Laban. They were a much older account. That older account was what informed the descendants of Lehi.

Most of the Deuteronomist mischief came during and after the Babylonian captivity. The family of Lehi departed prior to the captivity.

Adam and Eve were ordained for a priestly role in the Garden of Eden, and were in God’s presence while serving in that capacity. Once cast out, the challenge forever after has been to recreate Eden and have God’s presence return to the Earth. Not just to visit but to take up His abode here. That is the reason for establishing temples by God’s people repeatedly in history. But the objective has always been the same: the return of Eden, the return of God, and the redemption of the Earth from the fall.

The problem was not partaking of the knowledge of good and evil. That was always the destiny of Adam and Eve. The problem was partaking in violation of the Sabbath, We lost the day of rest, mankind made himself rather than God the center of creation, and the original Sabbath day did not return until Christ’s resurrection.

It is apparent that Christ never intended to re-establish Eden in the Old World. He made some considerable advancement to that end among the Nephites. Who knows what was done among the others He visited in the post-resurrection ministry. But the burden of prophecy is clear; There will be a final Temple of God in which He returns to dwell on Earth. That will require priestly men and women to perform the obligations imposed for Divine worship, opening the heavens, and having Gods, angels and mankind associate with one another.

God always intended to have mankind gain knowledge of good and evil. But God also intended that the center would be occupied by God, not by man’s ambition and self-will. Christ did nothing but what the Father directed be done. He said nothing other than what the Father commanded Him to say. He suffered the will of the Father in all things. Christ performed the priestly service that Adam and Eve neglected to perform.

The Fall of Adam and Eve

The Book of Mormon, which is the cornerstone of the religion established through the ministry of Joseph Smith, gives a more meaningful explanation of the fall. In 2 Nephi Chapter 1, paragraphs 9-10, we read:

And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from Heaven. Wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God. And because he had fallen from Heaven and had become miserable for ever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve — yea, even that old serpent which is the Devil, which is the father of all lies — wherefore, he said, Partake of the forbidden fruit and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit, they were driven out from the Garden of Eden to till the earth. And they have brought forth children, yea, even the family of all the earth. And the days of the children of men were prolonged according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh. Wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. For he gave commandment that all men must repent, for he shewed unto all men that they were lost because of the transgression of their parents.
And now behold, if Adam had not transgressed, he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the Garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state which they were after they were created; and they must have remained for ever and had no end. And they would have had no children. Wherefore, they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy for they knew no misery, doing no good for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy. And the Messiah cometh in the fullness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the Fall. And because that they are redeemed from the Fall, they have become free for ever — knowing good from evil — to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given. Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh, and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death according to the captivity and power of the Devil, for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

We learn from this that the Devil was once an angel of heaven. He fell from that state. His fall was because he did things that were evil before God. This tells us that freedom to choose remains possible even in heaven, where God is present. Responsibility and accountability do not end after this life, but continue into the heavens.

Having chosen to fight against God’s commandments, the angel was cast out. But having been there, he understands the heavens, and he knows how to imitate heavenly things.

His deceptions rely on lies. In my recent Hurricane Conference talk I said, “A great fog of lies spreads over the earth again today. There is decreasing light because of false, evil and destructive ideas. Life expectancy in the United States has declined for the first time, largely due to two causes: suicide and drug abuse. There is a crisis of depression, loneliness and mental illness underway. Pollution of our minds is a far greater threat than anything we see in the physical environment. …Today’s greatest pollutions are lies, deceits and advocating all manner of abominations, as if they were good. Abusive and wicked practices are now advocated boldly, and incorporated into our entertainment media and culture fearlessly. Their advocates have no shame, no fear of judgment, and no concern for godliness.”

This environment, as the Book of Mormon explains, is as it is because of the work of a fallen angel in a fallen world.

But despite this, the fall of man has provided the opportunity to choose between liberty and eternal life on the one hand, and captivity and death on the other. But God intends for mankind to have joy.

The way to overcome this fallen state was provided by the Messiah, who came to redeem mankind from the fall. His labor was to rectify the imbalance, and to let us escape from captivity here in this dark world.

There was an Adam, and there was an Eve. And there was an angel that fell from heaven. The struggle that began with those individuals at the beginning is a struggle that continues today. We have the same opportunity to choose that our first parents had. We have become free for ever. But, like our first parents, we are accountable for the choices we make.

Some theologians question the account of Adam and Eve. But the most correct book, and cornerstone of our religion, reaffirms that they existed, and their choices affect all of us still.

Read the account above again. I’ve highlighted some of the words to make them stand out. The word “probation” in particular is worth note. Here a great part of passing the probation is to recognize and reject the lies that are everywhere in this dark place.

Psalms 14

Joseph Smith changed the 14th Psalm from reading: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” To read instead: “The fool has said in his heart, There is no man that has seen God because he shows himself not unto us, therefore there is no God. Behold, they are corrupt. They have done abominable works and none of them does good.”

This is a profound change that recasts the problem from skepticism about God’s existence to skepticism about any message of God showing Himself to anyone.

Joseph also changes “Oh that the salvation of Israel were to come out of Zion!” to read instead: “Oh that Zion were established out of Heaven, the salvation of Israel. O Lord, when will you establish Zion?”

Another profound change that recasts the the origin of salvation itself. Zion is to be established out of heaven. And the Lord will establish it.

The Joseph Smith revisions of the scriptures make numerous small, but often profound, changes.

Providing for Families

Our scriptures command us: “women have claim on their husbands until they are taken.” T&C 79:1 Meaning that husbands are under a duty to provide support for their wives.

That same section also commands: “All children have claim upon their parents until they are of age.” Id. Meaning that both parents have a duty to support and care for their children’s needs. This, of course, means food, clothing, housing, medical care, education and transportation.

Paul put it more bluntly: “But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” NC 1 Tim. 1:13

Christ cautioned about bringing an offering to the temple altar without paying your debts: “Therefore, if you shall come unto me, or shall desire to come unto me, or if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has anything against you, leave there your gift before the altar, and go your way unto your brother, and first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” NC Matt. 3:19 The gift is not acceptable while there remains a debt to be paid to another. Gifts can wait. Debts come first.

I would recommend spouses discuss and agree on how to obey these commandments. I’ve spoken with several people about donating to the temple and have reminded them that family obligations come first. If someone fails to provide for their family, while giving to the temple, that is not just unwise, it is disobedience.

Measuring Success and Failure (guest post by my wife)

How do we measure success and failure? Grades A, B, C, D or F? Pass/fail. High scores on video games? The bigger number on a scoreboard at a sporting event? What about college entrance exam scores, admissions to prestigious universities. Am I successful if I have a lot of stuff?  A lot of money? The list goes on and on. How is success or failure measured in relationships? Is it as simple as good or bad? Is it based on how much contention, or how little contention? Divorce? Respect? Love? Do positive emotions have to be reciprocal to be considered a success? Does any of this resonate? How do we measure success as a parent? Successful children? What does that look like? Is there a reasonable measurement? Is it the same for everyone? Is there such a thing as religious success or failure? How would I be able to tell? Can someone measure it for me? Can I measure it for you? Can it be measured now, or do I have to wait until I die? Will “judgment day” show my success or failure?

What are some other words for success: victory, attainment, realization, achievement, happiness, ascendancy. Other words for failure: misstep, deficiency, breakdown, collapse, bungle, prodigal.

We have a saying in my family. It goes something like this, “Can I give you a compliment? You’re doing it wrong?” I think we are doing it wrong. I think success is most usefully measured by our attempts, our diligence, our efforts, our perseverance, our struggles, our missteps (don’t call them failures), our earnestness, and our sincere desires to self-actualize – which is just fancy speak for the drive we all have to develop our talents and work towards our greatest potential. Relationship success can be correlated to Aristotle’s concept of eudaimonia – fancy speak for flourishing, or constantly moving upwards in our levels of fulfillment and expressiveness within our relationships.

I think the foregoing explanations are lead-ins to what might be a successful religious person. Someone who desires to follow God. A person who selflessly serves. A mother who sacrifices. A man who seeks to lay up heavenly treasures instead of earthly treasures. People who use their gifts and talents to build God’s Kingdom on the Earth. This is the same as self-actualization and eudaimonia expanded out to our spiritual and religious impulses. There are no person-to-person comparisons. My endeavors or expectations will probably be different than everyone else. If I am looking to others for my measure, I will likely always “fail,” and worse, because of the distraction, I will miss out on how I might actually realize my highest religious ideals. I am unaware of any good achievement markers for any of these areas. It is never based on: What can I GET? What can I POSSESS?

Stop it! Stop looking at your efforts in terms of success or failure. Stop comparing your outcomes with other people. Stop imposing on yourself unrealistic expectations of what achievements represent success or failure. More importantly, spend time contemplating how God looks at our efforts. How is God speaking to you about your struggles, your associations, your investment in the Godly? Your life is a gift from Him. Is your life pleasing for heaven to watch? God is paying attention, and you are briefly on-stage. How do you want your hour to be remembered by God and by you? Are you pursuing your best self in all aspects of your life? Will you be ready to hear, “Well done thou good and faithful servant,” regardless of your “successes” or “failures?”

New Sacrament Prayer Recording

Because of the current circumstances, there are recordings of the sacrament prayers now available on this site. If you go to the tab marked “Downloads” there will be a sub-tab that appears with the words “Sacrament Administration”–if you click on that link it will take you to both recordings. It is also available under the “Important Links” section as “Sacrament”. Either one will take you to the recordings.

The present circumstances leave some widows and single-mothers in circumstances that may require them to abandon the sacrament until the lock down ends. To help them continue to have access to the ordinance, the blessings have been recorded for anyone to use at home.

Christ’s Love of Us

Our new scriptures have many things that are uniquely ours and do not inform any other Christian believer’s understanding. The differences are important to note.

We have the most complete and accurate version of the Joseph Smith Translation. We have the most complete and accurate version of the Book of Mormon. We have the most complete and accurate version of Joseph’s “Doctrine and Covenants” including revelations never canonized and Lectures on Faith, that were never decanonized, but nevertheless removed from scripture. But we also have new revelations and instructions given by God to us and exclusively for us.

Here is one insight into Christ’s love for us that can only be found in our scriptures: “God wants for us to understand Him. He is eager to meet with and touch us, as we should be to know and touch Him. God loves His children equally, but we love Him unequally in return. If we would love Him as he loves us, we would leap into His open arms and rejoice in the touch of our Lord.” T&C 159:8-9 These words are humbling to contemplate.

It cannot be overstated how important scriptures are to understanding Christ’s gospel. We have an advantage to understanding His gospel through our unique scriptures, if we are willing to study them.

Hosanna Shout!

A few words of instruction on the “Hosanna Shout” appear to be needed:

A languid repetition in unison of:

“Hosanna …hosanna… hosanna”

is not good form. The “shout” ought to be shouted! And doing so in unison always detracts, and forces into order what ought to be individual enthusiasm, uncontrolled, unregulated, and motivated by each person’s heartfelt emotion.

Here is a description of such an event in an authentic outburst at the laying of the foundation of the Second Temple: “And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the priests and Levites, and chief of the fathers who were old men that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice. And many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people; for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.” (OC Ezra 1:17)

This outburst was loud shouting, weeping, and the words “could not be discerned” because of the outcry.

Should there ever be an occasion for an authentic “Hosanna Shout!” among people of God, it should be rousing, loud, enthusiastic and uncontrolled. It should attract the attention of Heaven itself by the purity of the outburst from the hearts of the participants.

Recent Email

There is a critic who has written to me from time to time in the past. He actively posts on line under a pseudonym and I think even has a website blog somewhere. In any event I heard from him again and responded to him. He linked to a number of websites that are critical of Mormonism generally and of Joseph Smith. I responded to his email and have copied my response below:

I will take the time to review the links. Although I am busy, I do have a little more time because of the virus slowing down everything.

Thank you for caring enough to provide input. It is apparent to me that you do value the search for truth and are sincerely committed to principle.

Many times disagreements are not the result of a person’s failure to study matters through. They are the result of studying different materials and becoming persuaded by one viewpoint because of the lengthy investment of time and effort to understand that viewpoint. The disagreement flows from two different libraries being in conflict, not the ignorance or lack of diligence of either party.

I did not come to Mormonism as an eager, willing convert looking to make a change. I was quite content to leave Mormonism neglected. But once I was persuaded to at least consider it seriously, I began to study carefully what the religion taught, its historical bases, and the opposing literature. That examination has never stopped. I have read more material that challenges or criticizes Mormonism than the supporting materials. I did that primarily because there is more available material criticizing Mormonism than there is supporting it in sheer volume.

I’m actually interested in the materials you linked and sincerely will consider it. I did a quick review and saw that many of the arguments or points are familiar and often repeated. But hopefully there will be some new stuff as well.

As you know, the LDS form of Mormonism is its own worst enemy. They have oversold some things and neglected others, and in the process have distorted both the restoration and Joseph Smith. He has become a caricature and not a real person in both LDS Mormonism and in the hands of the critics. One of the reasons for writing the book A Man Without Doubt was to let Joseph step out from behind the many portrayals offered of him and let him speak for himself. He was not at all the person most people think him to be.

The Joseph Smith Papers project is also disappointing. But at least it contains original material, some of which has not been previously released. It helps somewhat. But the editors have mangled the content with their footnotes and commentary trying to force a viewpoint on the reader.

I’ve said that all history is fiction. Nothing is lived in the way it is later explained in hindsight. I have a lot of original journal, diary and correspondence materials involved in the relevant time period from 1820 to 1900. These “lived experiences” are more authentic than what the historians interpret and retell. Their lives are like yours and mine. We have our hopes, plans and expectations that are invariably frustrated, changed, abandoned and we adapt to the new circumstances. Reading through the daily struggles of those involved lets me identify with them because everyone shares the “life experience” of how this world tosses us back and forth. But historians tell the events as if they were God, with purpose and destiny always informing the storyline. But God doesn’t tell the story. He may inform a person’s life with insight, or inspire hope, or speak from time to time (almost always to correct and challenge the humble soul). But the “story” of life for everyman is the story of surprise, frustration, disappointment, sorrow, relief, appreciation, humiliation leading to humility, and challenge. But acceptance of these circumstances can lead to happiness and even satisfaction as we trouble through it all. In Liberty Jail the inspired inquiry was posited: “The Son of Man hath descended below it all; art thou greater than He?” Knowing of the Lord’s condescension helps us all bear up a little more bravely, with a little more determination, and with a little more humility.

Joseph certainly was not without his limitations and shortcomings. But, then again, so was Peter, and Moses, and Isaiah, and Elijah. Can we learn from Joseph’s life something good to take us closer to God? I leave it to you to answer that question.

All my best to you and your family;

Hiking Today

The restrictions in place and proposed to respond to the Coronavirus do not restrict hiking. So the daily hiking my wife and I do will not be interrupted.

Today we saw two bluebirds flying together across the trail. Robins are returning by the dozens. There are hundreds of geese in the area. There is a herd of 16 deer that graze on the east hillside above Draper City.

Winter ended and Spring began on the Equinox a few days ago. Nature is reawakening after months of slumber. Hiking puts you into Nature’s cycles and lets you observe first hand Christ’s management of this creation: “through Jesus Christ his Son, he that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth, which truth shines. This is the light of Christ, as also he is in the sun and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made; as also he is in the moon and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made; as also the light of the stars and the power thereof by which they were made; and the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand. And the light which now shines, which gives you light, is through him who enlightens your eyes, which is the same light that quickens your understandings, which light proceeds forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space: the light which is in all things, which gives life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sits upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.” T&C 86:1

If you get tired of home confinement, consider hiking in nature as an alternative way to spend time. An hour with God’s handiwork can give you insight into our Creator. (and it’s fun)