Section 96

When we were living in Las Vegas, I went on a Church History trip to the Kirtland, Ohio, area.  One wonderful memory is of the John Johnson farm.  This is where Joseph and Emma and their adopted twins stayed for a time.  When we were there farm house was surrounded by apple orchards.  We purchased several boxes of apples for the group and I ate and ate those sweet, delicious treats until I could eat no more! Yum. The memory is strong, maybe because of how amazing the apples were. Joseph and Sidney Rigdon received the vision of the three degrees of glory and saw the Savior as they met in the upstairs of the house here. Sadly, this is the place Joseph was tarred and feathered and his little son died partly from the exposure of that terrible night.

John Johnson was a very faithful member of the church.  The Lord promised him eternal life. Like my family, he was from the House of Israel, a descendent of Joseph who was sold into Egypt by his brothers.  We have the same promise as John Johnson if we remain faithful.

Section 95

When the Lord asks us to build something we are not to procrastinate.  Building the Lord’s house is a metaphor for the careful planning and construction of our own characters.  Turning to the Lord must not be procrastinated.  It also applies to maintenance, remodeling, and upgrading when the season for doing so is upon us.  My son-in-law, Brandon, just took down an outdated light fixture in our kitchen.  With the fixture down, the ceiling needed repainting.  He took a paint scraping from the ceiling to the paint store and had it matched. He then painted the white area left where the fixture had been.  Next he installed the new light fixture that Jean had selected.  It looks beautiful!  Regarding maintenance, my dear daughter, Michelle, has completely weeded my garden and harvested all the produce as it has ripened.  She also mowed the lawn and bagged the grass.  (Tina has also weeded for me and Jon, Eric, and Hayley have mowed my lawn. Brandon also took out a large bush in the front. The grandkids have helped me thin the fruit trees and pick up fruit that has fallen on the ground.)  With these tasked completed so lovingly, the spirit of joy, harmony, and beauty prevail. Thanks to all!

Section 94

The Lord is specific when he wants something built:

1 And again, verily I say unto you, my friends, a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall commence a work of laying out and preparing a beginning and foundation of the city of the stake of Zion, here in the land of Kirtland, beginning at my house.

 2 And behold, it must be done according to the pattern which I have given unto you.

This is also true of his Plan of Happiness. As we build our lives, we will be happier if we are most interested in doing things the way the Lord specifies.