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Last Sunday we had an unusual sacrament meeting. In testimony style, the bishop invited members of the congregation to come up and briefly tell what their favorite hymn was and why. The congragation would then sing two versus of the hymn. It was wonderful and everyone I talked to left feeling spiritually uplifted. I don’t think I’ve ever attended a sacrament meeting like that one.

Salt Lake Tribune story.



Allan C. Jackson has had quite a life. Mr. Jackson turns 100 on Monday and life has calmed down quite a bit from his early years.

“I must have some duty the Lord wants me to complete yet. When I do, he’ll be calling me home”

“The family name, Jackson says, came courtesy of his great-great-grandmother, who was a slave of President Andrew Jackson.”

Jackson was one of 16 children and when he was 9 he went to live in the white, Jewish home of Sophie and Sam Strauss, who was related to Levi, the inventor of blue jeans.

“At 14, Jackson married one of the Strauss’ daughters and became a father—to twins, one of whom died—for the first time.”

He became a waiter at places such as Club Maytag in Montgomery and The Sussex Hotel in Springfield, Miss. and met Al Capone.

“Jackson came to Utah by way of the Army, which he joined in the 1930s.”

“An LDS Church member who works as a hospice chaplain, gave Jackson a “death blessing.” Jackson, ill with colon cancer, was comatose and wasn’t expected to live much longer than a few hours”

A few days later he was healthy and wanted to meet the man who gave him a blessing.

“27 years after first getting a Book of Mormon and telling people he would consider the church when ‘the spirit hits me’—Jackson decided the time had come.”

He currently works on genealogy projects for the Church and next fall will lecture at Salt Lake Community College’s LDS Church Institute of Religion.

“Through various marriages and relationships, Jackson had 40 children, 38 of whom are still living; they range in age from 83 to 51. He has 52 grandchildren, 46 great-grandchildren and 18 great-great grandchildren.”

What a great article about the sanctity of the family this Stake President shared with the people of Olympia, WA.

My two favorite conference talks were by Elder M. Russell Ballard and Boyd K. Packer on the evil influences of the entertainment industry and the media. I love to listen to Elder Ballard and Packer’s no nonsense style of preaching the gospel. Elder Ballard said, “Immorality and sexual innuendo are everywhere causing some to believe that because everyone is doing it, it must be all right.” He also said, “This pernicious evil is not out in the street somewhere. It is coming right into our homes, right into the heart of our families.” I believe it was Elder Packer that commended KSL Channel 5 in Salt Lake City for refusing to air the new TV show Coupling due to extreme sexual situations. He said, “Satan, with his angels, will try to capture your thoughts and control what you do.” Elder Packer condemned those who work through “political, social, and legal channels to redefine morality and marriage into something unrestrained, unnatural and forbidden.” He also said, “Degrading profanity and the wicked joking and humor…(are) all paraded before you in unworthy entertainment – music, print, drama, film, television and, of course, the Internet.”



The transcripts of the conference talks will be on the church’s official website sometime this week.



UPDATE: The conference talks are now available on the church’s website. The Elder Ballard talk on encouraging more uplifting, inspiring, and acceptable media is located here.

I used to give firesides on the topic of Creating a Celestial Plan. The fireside is inspired by a talk by Marvin J. Ashton called A Yearning for Home, a talk titled A Celestial Connection To Your Teenage Years by Richard J Maynes, and D&C 117:8. For years now I have wanted to develop the fireside even further into perhaps a book or website. I’m definitely not a writer as you can tell from my blog entries but I still want to develop this idea of couples and families creating a celestial plan for their lives.



So today I began outlining this subject and developing the topics further. I thought I might blog my notes as I develop the subject and explore it in depth. A lot of it may not make sense to you but there might be a take home message for some people in all of this.



I’ll blog my notes as they develop and feel free to contribute as I go along with this subject. The scripture references will always be first and then my notes.



Read the rest of this entry »

I had a very simple but powerful spritual experience on Sunday.



A few weeks ago our bishopric was released and a new bishopric was sustained. I was sitting in sacrament meeting yesterday and noticed that our former bishop was helping to pass the sacrament. The spirit bore testimony to me of the truthfulness of the priesthood and the gospel of Jesus Christ and that we are all here on this earth to serve one another and help each other get through this life.



Here’s a man that two weeks prior was the bishop of the ward with tremendous responsibility placed upon him, and this week he is passing the sacrament with the deacons.



“Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” Proverbs 16:19



“I behold that ye are lowly in heart; and if so, blessed are ye.” Alma 32:8



“And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart.” Moroni 7:43



In a world where pride is found in every facet of life and being number 1 is what matters most it’s uplifting to witness the true principles of salvation being practiced.