Mormon Bloggers

Two days before his martyrdom, the Prophet Joseph Smith told W. W. Phelps about a prophetic dream he had a few nights beforehand. W. W. Phelps did not publish the account until 1862, but when he did, he titled it “Joseph Smith’s Last Dream.” Seth Adam Smith has created a video presenting the story behind this dream; his YouTube channel is HERE.

In summary, Joseph Smith dreamed that he and his brother Hyrum Smith were aboard a steamboat which caught fire. They jumped overboard, and decided to try walking on the water as a manifestation of their faith. Initially sinking, they did subsequently exercise enough faith to begin walking on top of the water. After a short period, Joseph and Hyrum were joined by their brother Samuel. After a while, all three sighted a glorious image — the image of their departed friends, loved ones, and the Savior Himself in the spirit world. Watch the video below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q_vgg4WjMk

The account on the video is abridged; the full text is available on Seth Adam Smith’s blog.

The Interpretation: From my perspective, considering that Joseph Smith had the dream just a short time before his death, it seems like the dream did foreshadow the imminent death of Joseph, Hyrum, and Samuel Smith, along with the fact that their calling and election had been made sure, and they had been sealed up unto exaltation. So why did Samuel Smith not join them in the dream until midway? The dates of their deaths may explain this. While both Joseph and Hyrum Smith died on June 27th, 1844, Samuel Smith did not die until July 30th of the same year. Thus the dream also foreshadowed the later death of Samuel Smith.

According to the full text, after Joseph Smith awoke from the dream, he then fell asleep again, during which he had another dream. In this second dream, he saw “William and Wilson Law endeavoring to escape from the wild beasts of the forest, but two lions rushed out of a thicket and devoured them”. This seemed to foreshadow the fact that William Law, who had already apostasized and was excommunicated, would never return to the LDS Church. Wilson Law also apostasized. Their plans to take down the Church would fail.

In this separate post, Seth Adam Smith also puts forth his possible interpretation. He also believes the dream foreshadows their martyrdom. He opines that the water often symbolizes chaos, doubt, sin, confusion, death and fear, and the fact that Joseph and Hyrum are walking on the water is significant because it indicates that they have conquered life through their faith in God.

So why was Joseph Smith given this dream? In June 1844, he had been feeling strong premonitions of his impending death. At about midnight early on June 23rd, he and his brother Hyrum left Nauvoo for Iowa, intending to go to the Rocky Mountains. However, he learned that some of his friends back in Nauvoo were accusing him of cowardice for leaving them, so the dream was given to him to buck up his courage. As a result, he returned to Nauvoo — and to subsequent martyrdom.

Seth Adam Smith says he doesn’t know for certain if the account is true. However, for him, whether or not it’s true doesn’t make much difference. At the end of the day, his faith does not rest on the possible last dream of a Prophet, but on the reality of his First Vision.

Seth Adam Smith also posts an unofficial video response from retired Church history instructor (NOT “the” Church Historian) Paul Thomas Smith HERE; he believes it to be authentic.

Seth also recommends reading a lengthy analysis by Ardis Parshall, who makes an important statement:

I am wary of appeals to emotion (as Seth’s video, with its powerful music and dramatic narration, certainly is) that replace rational thought and prayerful consideration. I am wary of people’s uncritical acceptance of old documents produced as the latest new thing and presented without adequate study…

I don’t call for automatic dismissal; I do maintain that people who aren’t more careful about what they accept as truth are in danger of being tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine, and build their houses on what too often turns out to be sand.

A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman also weighs in on this subject, as well as LDS Media Talk and Meridian Magazine.

Men. Deep Sigh…

You can’t live without them… but sometimes they’re so blasted hard to understand.

We know they don’t know how to read between lines, like us women do.  They never get our obvious hints even if they smack them in the face.  And sadly, most men have their personalities written right on their foreheads.  Those of us who know men well, can’t be fooled by their antics.  Unfortunately for them, most of the time we’ve got their number… And more than once we will look our beloved man in the eyes and wonder if he really has a brain in there… somewhere… almost makes me what to break into song!  But I won’t.

I will never understand men’s obsessions with “The Grill.”

Ben wanted one before we got married and so we purchased a little charcoal tripod one to test the waters of his grilling abilities with the potential fire hazard.  Sadly, Ben failed miserably when he nearly burnt down our trailer and still managed to under-cook the hot dogs.

So no grill for Ben.

Six and a half years later, this woman got sick of heating up the kitchen in our no cooler apartment.  Sick of cleaning pots and pans.  And just about fed up with doing all the cooking!  If Ben comes in one more time to ask if “there is something to eat?” like his arms are painted on and he can’t go open the fridge look for himself, I am going to cut my hair and feed it to him… take that!  Drama Queen take a bow!

So after almost 7 years of begging, pleading, embarrassing groveling and some feet kissing, I let Ben get a propane grill on the condition that he will:  1. Grill on demand.  2.  Use it at least 20 ft away from our apartment (even if it is made of cinder-block), and 3.  Be in charge of it’s up-kept — I am NOT cleaning that thing — bathing 3 dirty boys is enough for me, thank you very much!

What is it about a grill that makes a man so happy.  Does it fulfill some secret fantasy of flipping burgers at McDonald’s?  Would they if they could?  Is it the power they feel at standing behind the heat, controlling the grill-life of a chunk of meat… raw, med, or well-done!  Take that hot dog!  Or maybe it is all about knowing the ingredients and wielding the power of the “secret sauce” (which isn’t really a secret, but shhh… we don’t tell them that we know).  When I asked Ben, he said it was “all about the flare-ups” — which sounded to me like some kind of funky disease. 

Whatever it is, let’s face it:  Grills make men happy.  At least mine is.

On June 30th, 2011, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the site of the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre is among 14 new sites designated national historical monuments. The inclusion of the Mountain Meadows site, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was with the active blessing of the Church; LDS Church officials actually nominated it for inclusion, beginning their efforts back in March 2008. The designation imposes no additional regulatory requirements on the Church. The site was already on the National Register of Historic Places.

The St. George News lists all 14 new sites designated for inclusion. Access a complete list of all national historical landmarks HERE.

Secretary Salazar issued a statement: “Each of these landmarks represents a chapter in the story of America, from archaeological sites dating back more than two millennia to historic train depots, homes of famous artists, and buildings designed by some of our greatest architects. By designating these sites as national landmarks, we help meet the goals of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to establish a conservation ethic for the 21st century and reconnect people, especially young people, to our nation’s historic, cultural, and natural heritage.”

Assistant Church Historian and Recorder Richard E. Turley Jr., told KTVX Channel 4 that the historical designation is a good thing. “This is the result of a multi-year collaboration between the Church, the Mountain Meadows associations and the federal government,” said Turley. “We have nothing but appreciation for all those whose efforts made this possible.” He further explained that it’s important to remember what happened at the site, even for members of the Church, condemning the massacre as a terrible and significant thing that happened in U.S. and Church history.

The LDS Church has been criticized for many years for allegedly failing to memorialize the site sufficiently. In 1999, the LDS Church and the Mountain Meadows Association collaborated to construct a memorial on the site. The national historical designation represents the final step sought by many.

The details of the massacre are simply too exhaustive to discuss in one post. What people on both sides of the argument agree upon is that on September 11th, 1857, 120 men, women and children from the Baker-Fancher wagon train were attacked and murdered at Mountain Meadows by Cedar City-area church and militia leaders, along with some American Indians. The wagon train was bound for California when their stopover in the meadows turned deadly. Only 17 children survived the attack; they were initially taken into local homes and cared for, then ultimately returned to their own extended family members. The political environment was already inflamed by a threatened federal military invasion of Utah, and it took just one match to spark the flame.

There remains considerable disagreement on the extent of the Church’s involvement, whether Brigham Young could have done more to avert the attack, and whether or not the Church originally did all it could to punish the perpetrators. According to this timeline graphic, only two people were ever held formally accountable for the massacre. LDS Stake President Isaac Haight and John D. Lee were both excommunicated from the LDS Church in 1870, and Lee was tried and executed by firing squad in 1877. Critics of the Church believe Lee was selected to be the scapegoat.

A number of sources provide further information on the Massacre. There’s an official Mountain Meadows Massacre site HERE. Richard Turley published a detailed article in the September 2007 issue of Ensign Magazine. Wikipedia account HERE. Also of interest is a conference at Utah Valley University on March 5th of this year, when UVU hosted a panel discussion on the Mountain Meadows Massacre featuring Rick Turley, Will Bagley, and Forrest Cuch and was moderated by Alex Caldiero, which can be read at the Juvenile Instructor.

In contrast, Frank Kirkman’s website, although packed with information, has an anti-Mormon cast to it. Kirkman strongly believes that Brigham Young was involved in the Massacre, although the bulk of records from that time indicate he was not involved. Kirkman fails to understand that Brigham Young was preoccupied with preparing for a possible invasion and attack of the Salt Lake Valley by a Federal army, and could not supervise Utah Territory as much as he would have liked.

Judging historical actions through the advantage of 154 years of hindsight is easy. But is it really fair to judge the actions of the past through the morality of the present? Perhaps our time is more productively occupied making our current history as judgment-proof as possible.

As Tom and I were driving to the D.C. Temple we noticed a crowd gathering in front of the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department’s Station 5 house. Afterwards, I Googled the station to see what had been going on there, and discovered they were dedicating a 9/11 memorial. We stopped by and two of Station 5′s members were gracious enough to give me a interview. Gracious with their time, John E. Thompson and Jean Ward provided living examples of the spirit engrained in these first-responders. Here is the story.

The events of 9/11 are deeply personal to the volunteer firefighters who call Kensington Maryland’s Station 5 “home.” When hijackers crashed a plane into the Pentagon, Station 5’s members gathered at the house, overcrowded their ambulance and engine, and raced to the scene, rescuing the wounded, recovering the dead, and battling the fires at the emblem of America’s military might.

James Stanton, KVFD fire chief is understandably proud of his crew. “We didn’t have to call them. We didn’t have to send out a page. They knew they were needed, and they showed up.”

Days later, Station 5 volunteers responded to another 9/11 need when a request arrived from New York City for help at the embattled World Trade Center site where thousands perished when two hijacked planes brought the Twin Towers down.

Speaking of that call for help, Master Firefighter John E. Thompson, a 43-year veteran of the KVFD said, “We were asked to provide an engine company and an ambulance, and we were there for several days. . . They had to fight the guys off because everyone wanted to go.”

A small crowd gathered Saturday, June 25, at Kensington Volunteer Fire Department’s Station 5 for the dedication of a very special set of monuments. 16-foot twisted beam of steel juts from an inscribed black base which reads:

“THIS TWISTED AND SCARRED PIECE OF STEEL FROM THE POINT OF IMPACT AT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 MEMORIALIZES THE 2976 PERSONS LOST THAT DAY IN NEW YORK CITY, THE PENTAGON, AND SHANKSVILLE, PA. IT ALSO SERVES AS AN ENDURING TESTAMENT TO THE AMERICAN SPIRIT. WE SHALL NEVER FORGET. GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.”

Nearby, a piece of granite pull from the point of impact at the Pentagon rest upon a similar base inscribed with these words:

“FROM THRE POINT OF IMPACT ON THE FAÇADE OF THE PENTAGON, DAMAGED BY THE TERRORIST ATTACKS OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001. WE REMEMBER THE 184 CITIZENS WHO SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES THERE THAT DAY SO THAT WE MAY LIVE IN FREEDOM. WE SALUTE THE KFVD UNITS AND THE REST OF THE COUNTRY WHO RESPONDED TO THIS TRAGEDY.”

The half million dollar memorial project, the vision of KVFD President Steven R. Semler, was funded through donations and volunteer labor. The 9/11 Families Association assisted Station 5 in acquiring the beam. “This beam is from the point of impact between the 91st and 94th floors. It was given to us by the Port Authority of New York City and the 9/11 Families Association. We went up there, picked it out and brought it back,” said John E. Thompson. The Department of Defense provided the block of granite from the Pentagon.

Steve Heidenberger, president of Heidenberger Construction, served as project manager, reaching out into the community for contractors willing to contribute materials and labor. For Heidenberger, the project was deeply personal. His brother, Tom Heidenberger, lost his wife Michelle at the attack on the Pentagon. Steve Heidenberger said he wanted the memorial to be built from volunteer labor and goods, not money. His brother Tom hopes the memorial will also serve to teach future generations about 9/11. Said he, “They’re going to ask, ‘Mommy, daddy, what is this? Each of us will be able to explain to them what happened and the thousands of people who lost their lives that day.”

Following speeches and the dedication of the monuments, a 3500 pound bell, one of the “Bells of Remembrance,” inscribed with the names of the firefighters who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks, was rung in commemoration.

The monuments rest upon a red brick patio that pulls visitors out of the bustle. Gray bricks are interspersed throughout, engraved with the names of the contractors who contributed to the project. For a gift of $100, private individuals can have their own names or a message inscribed on a brick as a permanent remembrance. “The money raised [from the sale of the bricks] goes back to the 9/11 Families’ Association and other similar charitable efforts.”

In 2005 the firehouse was also invited to serve as the site one of four test rose gardens. The rose bushes are grown to determine climate hardiness for specific varieties being considered for three memorial rose gardens in New York City, Washington D.C., and Shanksville, PA. Several of the varieties are named specifically to commemorate 9/11 with names such as “Veterans’ Honor” “Firefighters,” “Forty Heroes,” and “September Mourn.” Jean Ward, a lifetime member of the fire company, and caretaker of the rose garden, explained why roses were being chosen for the planned memorial gardens. “Because the rose is a sign of remembrance.”

With the tenth anniversary of 9/11 fast approaching, many remembrances will occur as Americans pause to reflect on the greatest attack on the Continental U.S. since the devastation of Washington during the war of 1812. This one is right in our nieghborhood, and worth a moment to stop, reflect and remember.

Families and organizations interested in buying a brick can submit requests to https://kvfd.engravedbricks.com/.

Copyright 2009 Laurie LC Lewis, (To obtain permission to copy or reprint any portion of this post, please contact the author at lclewis2007@gmail.com)

I put the wrong link for Ben’s new website on my post yesterday… opps… I hope you didn’t get too bored reading about some random guy in NY trying to get into shape… lol.  Sorry about that!

Here is his REAL link!  Click here!

The header should look like this one:

Still would love to have your input!

First off, I want to thank Mommy for the great posts about me this week. I also want to thank everyone for the birthday wishes sent my way. I’ve always thought I was pretty cool, but I’m realizing how great all of you think I am as well, as you’ve showered me with love (and you can’t forget the presents – they’re are all really fantastic!)

I told Mommy she could have the day off today, as she’s already done so much for me this week. So I get to tell you all about my well-baby checkup appointment I had this morning.

So happy!

I wasn’t too excited to go, to be perfectly honest. I got all these awesome toys for my birthday, and I was much more interested in staying home and playing with them. Mommy insisted, and in my car seat I went. We got to the doctors and I only had a minute to walk around the waiting room before they called me in to see the doctor. I got my measurements done, then only had a minute to play with blocks with Aurora until the doctor came in. These are my measurements:

Length: 28.23 Inches (23%)
Weight: 15 lbs 14 ozs (0% – eeek!)
Head: 44.3 cm (27%)

Straight from the doctor – I’m perfect. She is a little concerned about my weight, but because I had Rubella a couple of weeks ago (turns out this was the second rash and the cause of my swollen glands), I probably lost some weight and am just gaining it back.

I was a little afraid of the doctor because she was kind of in my face with all these strange looking toys, and when I tried to grab them, Mommy would stop me. In my defense, I thought she was handing me the stethoscope. I mean, she even put it on my tummy. But I guess she was just teasing me, because she kept moving it around to try and get me to grab it, but when I would catch it, she would take it back. At any rate, she finished checking me out, and then a nurse came in. You got it – shots. I tried to be as brave as I could, but, embarrassingly enough, I still cried for a minute. But once Mommy picked me up, I felt much better. I’m not so sure I want to go back any time soon though.

To see my previous stats, click here.

And here are some more pictures from my birthday:

Eat cake!

Aurora eats cake and ice cream too!

Birthday suit…er…shirt

Our primary at church has Family Home Evening nights at the park every Monday in the Summer. To kick off Summer properly they held the first one at the beach. We had beautiful weather, the waves were huge, and the bonfire was lit. Perfection. Johnny was the hit of the night catching sand crabs for all the kids. Kailey was terrified of the waves, but they were pretty big and it was a high tide. We played in the sand ,ate smores and went home smelling like a bonfire, which would not wash out of my hair. When we are having a good time at the beach I always look around and wonder why we don’t come more often, I mean besides the sand that gets tracked into my new car and in the car seats, and all the wet towels and dirty clothes we bring home with us we should really go more. =)

Our primary at church has Family Home Evening nights at the park every Monday in the Summer. To kick off Summer properly they held the first one at the beach. We had beautiful weather, the waves were huge, and the bonfire was lit. Perfection. Johnny was the hit of the night catching sand crabs for all the kids. Kailey was terrified of the waves, but they were pretty big and it was a high tide. We played in the sand ,ate smores and went home smelling like a bonfire, which would not wash out of my hair. When we are having a good time at the beach I always look around and wonder why we don’t come more often, I mean besides the sand that gets tracked into my new car and in the car seats, and all the wet towels and dirty clothes we bring home with us we should really go more. =)

“The problems of the world cannot possibly by solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were and ask, Why not?” – John Fitzgerald Kennedy

I passed a billboard with Jennifer Aniston, her long, tan legs stretch across the board. Next to that cottage-chesseless, tan, sculptued thigh, is a bottle of Smart Water.  I wanted that water.  No, I wanted that thigh.  But it was probably photo shopped and air-brushed, right? Right?

And then I got to thinking, how can water be smart?  And if there is smart water, I’ve probably been drinking dumb water. 

And then I had an epiphany: Nobody cares about my legs.  You never think about my legs, do you?  And if you saw me in a swimsuit you wouldn’t lay awake at night thinking about it. Would you?

Why do I obsess about these things?  Stretch marks on thighs, which I started getting during my third pregnancy, are like those mother pins my son fastens to my shirt at pack meeting only they are permanent and don’t get lost in the washing machine.  The scar where the neighbor’s horse kicked me and my knees that show the signs of being skinned too many times, and even the cottage cheese, all say that I used these bad-boys for more than propping up a bottle of Smart Water. 

Here’s another quote I love.  Some have attributed it to Marjorie Paye Hinckley but I can’t verify it.  But, if she didn’t say it, she thought it and lived it.

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, “Wow, what a ride!”

“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.” (Moroni 10:32)

Deny yourself all ungodliness. In every situation ask yourself how you would feel if Christ walked in at that moment. Always strive to be doing things worthy of your time and energies.

Love God with all your might, mind, and strength. Don’t put anything before or above God in your life. Put His will for you first and foremost, no matter how challenging it may be.

Doing these two things constitutes enduring to then end, because the first will keep you from doing anything you shouldn’t and the second will keep you doing the things you should.