The Rear Window

Quote of the day~ from Hitchcock's "The Rear Window" which I am watching for Civ. as a blog...

"Nothing has caused the human race so much trouble as intelligence."

Ha! What's great is how often this is true. And what's ironic is how often it is so not true.

Go figure.

Exodus

Throughout history (don't you just love that intro? it's usually my cue to take a nap... haha!), God has commanded his people to make certain exoduses. Adam & Eve made a symbolic exodus when they "left" the innocence and harmony of the Garden of Eden to take on the "real world" and corresponding agency. Noah made a type of exodus with a few family members and the world's zoo when they left society and survived via boat. Lot and his wife were commanded to leave Sodom & Gomorra. The classic exodus story involves Moses leading the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt and into freedom from oppression. Lehi led his family out of Jerusalem when the Lord commanded it. And of course, our pioneer ancestors mustered the courage to trek across North America to the Great Salt Lake Valley-- because the Lord commanded it.

Now, I live in the twenty-first century. The state of the church and the state of our everyday standards are extraordinarily different from the relatively similar daily circumstances that our native ancestors faced. Advances in technology and industry have yielded exponential progress. Times have, indeed, changed. I haven't been asked to make a long trek across an arduous landscape, but I am asked to make symbolic exoduses of my own. Sometimes I rise to the challenge and heed the call; sometimes not. I'd suspect that, in part, we'll be judged by how we responded to the Lord's command for us to do something uncomfortable, unpopular, or just plain difficult. If we don't respond as well as we ought to one time, we should repent, get back up, and give it a stronger go the next time. My testimony is that, no matter who we are or what age we live in, be with the Hebrew slaves of Moses' day or the latter-day saint pioneers chronicled in D&C section 136, I know that God is with us to guide us, strengthen us, and protect us as we make our personal exoduses. We can do it! "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phillipians 4:13). And the reality is, not only can we do it-- we must.

The Crandall Printing Museum

This week our D&C class went to the Crandall Printing Museum in Provo, Utah. I didn't know it existed. It was a neat experience to learn about the exact type of printing press Gutenberg invented. As I sat through the two hour lecture, all I could think over and over again was, Gutenberg was a genius. Gutenberg was a genius. Gutenberg was a genius. He was. Everything in our world relies on printed text. Every field is affected by and dependent upon it. Science. History. Medicine. Literature. Architecture. Politics. Religion. Every aspect of my life is affected by the printed word. It was an extraordinary achievement and, as the museum's curators and historians explained, it paved the way for the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

As explained to us, the Catholic Church first asked Gutenberg to print copies of the bible. In the 1700's, the American Revolution relied on the press to publish documents like The Declaration of Independence, The Federalist Papers, The Constitution of the United States, and others. The printing and distrubtion of Thomas Paine's "These are the Times that Try Men's Souls" rallied our troops and helped propel us to victory of strong British forces. The museum's historian shared a quote from Paine's work that I first read while in AP US History my junior year of high-school. I find it powerful:

These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.

-Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

I think the story of Gutenberg is an example of how God is involved in inspiring men throughout history-- even during the Dark Ages. Spiritual and secular things are seldom, if ever, distinct. At least, I believe that God created everything in the universe. His influence on medicine and music is no less than his influence on Sunday sermons. I'm grateful for Gutenberg, and I'm grateful that his invention brought about the printing and distribution of the Book of Mormon. It is the word of God.

Livin' for the Weekend!

Thoreau would scold me for this title.

But yes, for the first time in a while, I'm livin' (and workin') for the weekend. I take off to NYC (my favorite city ever!! actually it's tied with SF, but still...) in just over 48 hours. I'm excited about the trip, but I'm so preoccupied with all my schoolwork that adrenaline has yet to set in. Hopefully it's coming down the pipe SOON. I need it to help me get through the next two days worth of work! I took two exams yesterday; now I'm onto three essays + additional prep for the MUN competition. Wish me luck! :)

God Still Speaks

Today, the blog prompt poses this question: "Why were some of Joseph Smith's Nauvoo sermons recorded as scripture?"

Some of the prophet Joseph Smith's teachings were recorded in the Doctrine & Covenants because we believe God still speaks to and reveals important teachings to the prophet on the earth, just like he did to Isaiah, Nephi, Peter, and others. One of the fundamental beliefs of Latter-day Saints is that we have a living prophet on the earth today, just as in days of old. We believe that God, although unchangeable, continues to provide revelation (just like he did in biblical days) and guidance to his children on the earth. Article of Faith 9 explains this: "We believe all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal, and we believe that he will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God." The true gospel of Jesus Christ was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith, which, in essence, "re-opened" the heavens. Although I believe that God's children living in the dark ages could and did still communicate with him, the priesthood of God was not on the earth, and as such, there was no prophet of God on the earth.

Joseph's Smith's teachings are just as pertinent, holy, and divine as those written by Noah, Malachi, and Moroni. It makes perfect sense to me that they would be included in our scripture. The church has grown and expanded, and we no longer insert every prophetic teaching into our quads, but we consider the words of God's prophets and apostles, no matter the age they lived in, to be scripture of God.

I have a testimony that not only does God speak to his prophet, but that he can speak to each of us. As children of God, we have the right to communicate with him-- a right provided by him. This right is a tremendous blessing in my life. Heavenly Father communicates with his children through the Holy Ghost. If we pray and study and come unto him, he will answer us in whatever form we need. We will feel the Spirit. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16).

I am so grateful for the knowledge that I am a spirit daughter of God-- the greatest, most loving being in our universe. Of course he communicates with us! Of course he listens to us, just as my loving mortal parents listen to and care about me. The heavens are open. God's spirit and priesthood power are on the earth today-- this is truly good news! As we pray and seek out Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ, we often find that they have been there all along, prepared to strengthen or comfort us. A favorite scripture of mine comes from 1 John: "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us" (verse 14). That's the confidence I have in him, too.

One last quote, from a favorite~ Ralph Waldo Emerson:

Teach that God is,
not was.
Teach that God speaks,
not spake.