CHAPTER 15 WEEK of AUG 23 to AUG 27

August 27, 2014--a very significant day in our family history!

In honor and celebration of Martha Sophronia Iverson Middleton's birthday today we share this bouquet of peonies, one of her favorite flowers.  Although she is now waiting for us on the other side of the veil we wanted to wish her a very happy 103rd birthday!  She would have added her vote to our favorite hymns (see below).  She believed in the truths we testify of (see below) and is waiting to greet each of us when it is our turn to progress to the other side.  We feel her presence with us as we serve each day in the temple and are trying to be half the temple worker she was.  She strived to do the important gospel basics everyday by praying, reading and pondering scriptures and serving others.  She is one of those many family angels cheering for us and even helping us from the other side and we need to remember that!!! Here are some memorable pics of Martha, Mom, Mother, Grandma Martha:

So take a moment right now and say it out loud--Happy Birthday!!!

 

The Lucas Men went on their "Man Hike" this past week thanks to their awesome wives and children who let them have this wonderful time together.  We are so blessed to have had these wonderful son's come to our home when it was their turn to come to earth.  We love you John, Josh, Jared, Justin and Jeff and the outstanding men you are.

 

 

Our past week continued to deepen our testimonies of the temple and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We have witnessed several local couples here in this temple district who drive long hours to come to serve in the temple.  This is done in all the temples of the church throughout the world and shows the sacrifice and commitment to serve the Lord in His holy house by doing whatever it takes.  We honor all who make the sacrifice to attend the temple no matter how close or how far from home that may be.  Sometimes as we are serving we may be prone to be a little discouraged by the numbers in attendance but we learn from the brethren that "Time in the temple is never wasted".

In Sacrament Meeting on Sunday 3 of our favorite hymns were sung which always infuse our testimonies:

1.
#140
Did You Think to Pray?

 

1. Ere you left your room this morning,
Did you think to pray?
In the name of Christ, our Savior,
Did you sue for loving favor
As a shield today?

 

[Chorus]
Oh, how praying rests the weary!
Prayer will change the night to day.
So, when life gets dark and dreary,
Don't forget to pray.

 

2. When your heart was filled with anger,
Did you think to pray?
Did you plead for grace, my brother,
That you might forgive another
Who had crossed your way?

 

3. When sore trials came upon you,
Did you think to pray?
When your soul was full of sorrow,
Balm of Gilead did you borrow
At the gates of day?

Text: Mary A. Pepper Kidder, 1820-1905
Music: William O. Perkins, 1831-1902

2.
#194
There Is a Green Hill Far Away

1. There is a green hill far away,
Without a city wall,
Where the dear Lord was crucified,
Who died to save us all.

 

2. We may not know, we cannot tell,
What pains he had to bear,
But we believe it was for us
He hung and suffered there.

 

3. There was no other good enough
To pay the price of sin.
He only could unlock the gate
Of heav'n and let us in.

 

4. Oh, dearly, dearly has he loved!
And we must love him too,
And trust in his redeeming blood,
And try his works to do.

Text: Cecil Frances Alexander, 1818-1895
Music: John H. Gower, 1855-1922

3.
#300
Families Can Be Together Forever

1. I have a fam'ly here on earth.
They are so good to me.
I want to share my life with them through all eternity.

 

[Chorus]
Fam'lies can be together forever
Through Heav'nly Father's plan.
I always want to be with my own family,
And the Lord has shown me how I can.
The Lord has shown me how I can.

 

2. While I am in my early years,
I'll prepare most carefully,
So I can marry in God's temple for eternity.

Text: Ruth M. Gardner, 1927-1999. © 1980 IRI
Music: Vanja Y. Watkins, b. 1938. © 1980 IRI

Each of these hymns inspire, comfort and testify of what we believe to be true.

We truly believe that sincere prayer will bring the tender mercies of the Lord that are needed each day in our lives and that miracles are the result of sincere and fervent prayer.

We truly believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior and redeemer and did atone for each of us and that His gospel has been restored here on the earth in these Latter-days through the prophet Joseph Smith and that there is a living prophet today, Thomas S. Monson as well as living apostles.  Jesus Christ's true church with His authority is on the earth today in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

We truly believe that God has a plan for us that gives us purpose and direction and that by following His plan and living the gospel of Jesus Christ we will find lasting happiness and be able to endure life's challenges.

For more of what we believe we invite you to visit www.mormon.org.

 

 

Aug 26, 2014 Chuck’s Nauvoo Moment

Nauvoo Moment (Inspirational Facts & Temple Symbols)

The rebuilt and rededicated Nauvoo Temple is an inspiration to all of us. Here are some inspiring facts and symbols related to this sacred structure on the hill here in Nauvoo. [Please remember that temple symbols like most methods used by the Lord to communicate with us (parables, types, shadows, etc.) reveal their meaning in layers. There is rarely just one meaning to be gleaned from any symbol, or collection of symbols.]

•On February 5, 1844 William Weeks attempted to disagree with an element Joseph Smith had suggested for the Temple, Joseph replied: “I wish you to carry out my designs, I have seen in vision the splendid appearance of that building illuminated, and will have it built according to the pattern shown me.”

•The temple is equally 1 mile from the Mississippi River to the West, North and South. It is quite literally the “center place” of the peninsula that is Nauvoo. The temple is at the heart of the people, both physically and spiritually.

•The modern Nauvoo Temple sits directly on the site of the original Temple. This is a symbol in itself.

•Hugh Nibley said that the elongated point of the Starstones of the Nauvoo Temple indicate “the projection or transmission of light to the earth from on High,” a primary purpose of temples.

•The Sunstone being “personified” or having human characteristics suggest the Saints who’s glory is compared to the sun (the celestial kingdom). (D&C 76:70) The Smithsonian’s Museum of American History purchased for $100,000 in 1989 an original Sunstone of the Nauvoo Temple from the Historical Society of Quincy, IL.

•The moon, sun and star stones reveal a rich cosmic symbolism. The Moon orbits the earth once every 27.32 days. The earth rotates around the sun every 365.26 days. Our solar system rotates around the center of the galaxy approximately every 250 million years. We are moving ever closer to the concept of “God’s Time.” In this sense, the Temple becomes a “Time Machine,” suspending the world, and allowing us to view creation, the atonement, and our relationship with the Father and the Son.

As we begin to understand the lessons taught us without and within the walls of the Temple, we make the Temple the center of our personal universe. Our world begins to revolve around it. We stand in holy places, and are taught the order of the universe.

•The circular round Star Colored windows symbolize “the bright and morning star” Jesus Christ. The circle has been recognized since antiquity as a symbol of perfection or eternity (and consequently, heaven).      

•The Temple Clock gives the Saints the ability to look to the Temple to know the time of day, reinforcing the role of the Temple in marking our place in time and space.

•The Temple Bell is an audible reminder of the covenants made there. The Nauvoo Temple is the only Temple to possess a bell. The current Nauvoo bell tolls the hour… a similar reminder to the Saints to come to the house of the Lord, and to remember the covenants they make there.

•There are two doors on the west entrance of the temple, and each contains two doors. Is there any meaning here? Perhaps the most powerful meaning of the symbol 2 is Christ’s character…God & man. In Hebrew tradition the number 2 also represents life-force, the creator.  

•The Nauvoo Temple features twelve steps leading up to the entrance, and the oxen in the baptismal font number twelve. The number twelve represents priesthood authority.

I have quoted freely from R. Lane Wright’s recent book Testament in Stone, Symbols of the Nauvoo Temple and Their Meaning. He is a friend we have met here in Nauvoo and we serve with him in the Temple. His hope is that his study of the symbols of the temple will help bring us closer to the Savior. I believe he has succeeded in more than a small way.