The theme for Mutual (Young Men and Young Women weekly activities in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) this coming year comes from the Doctrine and Covenants. The Lord told Joseph Smith: “Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations” (D&C 115:5). In the following brief video, Elder L. Tom Perry introduces the Mutual Theme for the year:

“Arise” can be applied in many ways but the most important is to pray day and night and then arise and go forth unto the temple. “Shine forth” means being a good example to others – those within and without the church. It means to encourage others to read the scriptures daily.

The Church put together a nice music video with the theme song for the year – Arise. Pay attention to the lyrics, they’re inspirational. For the lyrics I tried to include all the parts when possible. Lyrics of background singers are in parentheses ().

We are the voices.
We are the rising sun.
We are the children.
Last of the fearless,
We are the light and love
Shining in darkness.

Reaching out to all places,
Calling out to all nations.
If your heart is changing
Now your chance has come.

Arise, arise, arise!
Arise, arise, arise!

We are all travelers
Looking to the sky
Destined for glory.
Here on this journey
We are all sure to find
Those who are wandering
And show the way.

Reaching out to all places,
Calling out to all nations
(Arise, arise)
There’s promise on the horizon
Now’s your time to
Shine!

Arise, arise, arise!
Arise, arise, arise!
Arise, arise, arise!

Praying day and night
We will all kneel down.
Raise our voices
Up!
If we humble ourselves,
We’ll be lifted!

Arise, arise, arise, arise, arise, arise, arise!
(Arise, arise!)
(Arise)
Arise and bring in the new day!
Arise and bring in the new day!
(Arise)

Reachin’ out to all places (arise)
(Arise and bring in the new day!)
Calling out to all nations! (arise)
(Arise and bring in the new day!)
Now’s your time to shine! (arise)
(Arise and bring in the new day!)
Now’s your time to shine! (arise)
(Arise and bring in the new day!)
Now’s your time to shine! (arise)
(Arise and bring in the new day!)
Now’s you time to
Shine! (arise)

Arise, arise, arise! (arise)
(Now’s your time to shine!)
(Arise and bring in the new day!)
Arise, arise, arise! (arise)
(Now’s your time to shine!)
(Arise and bring in the new day!)
Arise, arise, arise! (arise)
(Arise and bring in the new day!)

The Church has many other resources available for the youth and youth leaders at the LDS Youth website. I’ve enjoyed the videos and music (including many of the now classic Seminary video songs). Take time to navigate the website and learn what the Lord hopes for the youth and for all of us, for we were all young (or still are) at some point.

Related posts:

1. Arise From the Dust And Be Men, Part 2
2. Arise From the Dust And Be Men, Part 3
3. Arise From the Dust And Be Men, Part 1

Visit my blog: By Study and Faith

Happy new year.

Photographic credit - Vladimir Naykhin

From the press release:

The discovery was presented at a press conference at which the Minister of Culture Limor Livnat and Minister of Education Gideon Sa’ar participated

Layers of soil covering the foundations of the Western Wall, c. 15 meters north of the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount, were excavated beneath Robinson’s Arch in archaeological excavations of the Israel Antiquities Authority in the Jerusalem Archaeological Garden. On top of these layers, dating to the first century CE (the late Second Temple period), was paved the Herodian street which was the main road of Jerusalem at that time. From the very start of the excavations in this area the archaeologists decided that all of the soil removed from there would be meticulously sifted (including wet-sifting and thorough sorting of the material remnants left in the sieve). This scientific measure is being done in cooperation with thousands of pupils in the Tzurim Valley National Park, and is underwritten by the Ir David Association. It was during the sieving process that a tiny object of fired clay, the size of a button (c. 2 centimeter in diameter) was discovered. The item is stamped with an Aramaic inscription consisting of two lines – in the upper line “דכא” and below it “ליה”. “דכא” or “דכי” in Aramaic means pure. Following the preposition “ל” in the word “ליה” is the shortened form (two of the four letters) for the name of the G-d of Israel.

According to the excavation directors on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, archaeologists Eli Shukron of the IAA and Professor Ronny Reich of the University of Haifa, “The meaning of the inscription is “Pure for G-d”. It seems that the inscribed object was used to mark products or objects that were brought to the Temple, and it was imperative they be ritually pure. This stamped impression is probably the kind referred to in the Mishnah (Tractate Shekalim 5: 1-5) as a “חותם” (seal). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that such an object or anything similar to it was discovered in an archaeological excavation and it constitutes direct archaeological evidence of the activity on the Temple Mount and the workings of the Temple during the Second Temple period”.

1. You just need to head over to the Happy Little Artist Etsy Shop and find the temple print that you like best (while you're there check out the adorable headbands as well ;) then jump back over here to Becoming LDS and leave a comment letting me know which temple and size you would like to win. 
2. Please also leave the beginning of your email address (ex. becominglds@) so I can verify that you are the winner.
3. Merry Christmas!

How better to get us started than to ask my first question. Why and how could Adam have lived for ever in his sins after partaking of the Tree of Life? This is a very specific question and sounds like it would have a very straight forward answer, nope. This is the question that after getting an answer completely changed the way I see the story of Adam and Eve and many of the basic principles of the gospel.

I’m going to start my proposed answer to this question by bursting a few bubbles. The book of Genesis was written as the words of Moses spoken to the children of Israel. These are the same children of Israel who started worshiping a golden calf while Moses was getting the Ten Commandments. I’m guessing he was asking himself how exactly he was going to explain the beginning of man to a people who couldn’t even remember who their God was. This is a story where the principles of the gospel are so intertwined it is hard to navigate through them and explain the events.

Since the beginning God has used figurative expressions to teach principles of the gospel. Christ constantly spoke in parables or figurative expressions so that all those who were meant to understand would. This story is no different, the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life are both figurative expressions.

As to the Fall itself we are told that the Lord planted “the tree of knowledge of good and evil” in the midst of the garden (Moses 3:9). To Adam and Eve the command came: “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee; but, remember that I forbid it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Moses 3:16–17). Again, the account is speaking figuratively. What is meant by partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil is that our first parents complied with whatever laws were involved so that their bodies would change from their state of paradisiacal immortality to a state of natural mortality.
June Ensign 1982 “Christ and the Creation” Bruce R. McConkie

I guess technically there could have been a tree with fruit on it which Adam was not supposed to take. The truth is we do not know what happened which caused Adam and Eve to fall. What we do know is that it was a choice that Eve consciously made. What they did does not matter. What does matter is the concept that it was the choice of Adam and Eve which brought about the fall of man, not any magical fruit.

So here is another question, “why did Adam and Eve have to choose to fall; why couldn’t God just have gotten it started in a fallen state?”

I know I haven’t even answered the first question yet, don’t worry I will.

So the question about why they had to choose is a great one and the answer reveals some interesting concepts about the nature of God. God is a perfect and exalted being and as such could not have created anything imperfect. Because of this we are left with a situation where man needs to find imperfection but God could not do it for us. Man needed to choose imperfection independent of the actions of God in order for God to continue being God. This is a part of the nature of God and salvation that we can’t forget. God can not make our decisions for us no matter how much we want him to. The purpose of this life is that we make our own decisions which provide us with the knowledge we need to become like God.

So God created a perfect world and put a perfect man and a perfect woman on it. The only thing he could offer was a choice. He provided Adam and Eve the opportunity to choose between two options:

One of the options was to fall from his presence by choosing to disobey him in some way, this is represented by the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam and eve chose to fall from the presence of the father by disobeying him. By becoming imperfect they were unable to stay in the presence of perfection.

The second option included staying in the presence of God and Jesus Christ, this option is represented by the tree of life. Adam was able to partake of the fruit of the tree of life while in the Garden of Eden just as he was able to be in the presence of God at any time. Adam and Eve of course chose to fall from the presence of God knowing that this was the only way they would be able to gain the knowledge necessary to become like their father.

After Adam became imperfect God placed a cherubim and flaming sword to protect Adam so that he would not again partake of the fruit of the tree of life and live forever in his sins. How is this possible, how could Adam live forever in his sins? The only way we know that a man or woman can live forever in his sins is by becoming a son of perdition. A person can not just choose to become a son of perdition, its actually pretty difficult. You have to have a perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ and then sin against him. So how could Adam have chosen to become a son of perdition?

The answer is that he couldn’t, just as we can’t. God uses the same thing to protect us from his presence (the tree of life) that he used to protect Adam, the veil. The cherubim and flaming sword is the veil. God placed the veil (cherubim and flaming sword) between Adam and himself (the tree of life) in order to protect Adam. If Adam would have come back into the presence of God before he had the opportunity to repent and be baptized he would have become a son of perdition and lived for ever in his sins.

This is why God places the veil when we come into this earth, so that we only gain the knowledge we are ready to be accountable for.

To back up my belief that the cherubim and flaming sword is the veil here is a scripture:

“And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.”
Chronicles 3:14

This scripture states that in the Old Testament the cherubim was actually stitched onto the veil in the temple.

Check out LDSplan.com to help with your Home Teaching or Visiting Teaching.

St. Louis Mormon Temple, Photo Copyright 2011 Larry Richman

Many years ago, within a period of six weeks, two of Elder and Sister Scott’s young children passed away. Referring to how he and Sister Scott handled this difficult time, he declared, “We rejoice in the knowledge that all seven of our children are sealed to us for time and all eternity.” With that same conviction, he has continued to minister since Sister Scott passed away 16 years ago.

“When we live righteously and have received the ordinances of the temple, everything else is in the hands of the Lord.”

Whatever our trials and whenever our time of need, we can find peace and strength in the temple. As you consider when you will next attend, you can read, watch, or listen to Elder Scott’s complete address, “Temple Worship: The Source of Strength and Power in Times of Need.”

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