Stones

Looking To Zion Lite 
The Condensed Version for Super Busy Moms
(Now with fewer calories!)

Building Zion to last will require the laying of a solid foundation, and that foundation is maintained by four spiritual cornerstones: Jesus Christ; Faith, Hope, and Charity; the Law of God (both the gospels of long ago and modern day); and the Family. These four immovable and eternal cornerstones will lay the foundation for the greatest city the world has ever known.
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Looking To Zion Not-So-Lite
(Full of zest, flavor, and waaay too many calories for our own good!)

The kids are finally back in school and the house is relatively quiet again.  I’m feeling a bit of “empty nest syndrome” – which is par for course this time of year.  We’ve weathered the kids’ birthdays and somehow made time for a small vacation this summer.  All in all, I’d dub the last three months a success.

So with all the focus on family over the last little while, it seems strange that I’ve been thinking about rocks.  Specifically, cornerstones.  You know…the great big, honking huge, stones that were used in the old days to lay the foundation of a building?  Yeah, those kinds of rocks.  You see, when I was younger, I had the opportunity to work for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, caring for some of their most sacred and historical sites.   It was the best job I’ve ever had, hands down, for the simple fact that Heavenly Father was my boss; and every day I woke up knowing that the work I would be doing was necessary.  I had a purpose and knew that my hard efforts were appreciated.

For those that have never worked for the Church before most positions require you to hold a temple recommend in order for you to even qualify for the job.  It was an endorsement of worthy service, and ensured that everyone working together had the same moral commitment.  The work always started with a hymn, a prayer, and spiritual thought from the scriptures.  There were no lewd jokes, there were no office politics, and everyone was genuinely happy to see each other.  It was so different from any other job I’ve ever had!  I was so very blessed to hold one of those positions, and I fervently wish I could hold a job like it again.
As much as I wish to write more about the job, today’s blog isn’t so much about the job I held as it is about one of the responsibilities I had while on the job.

One of the sites that I cared for was the temple grounds at Far West, Missouri.  There are few places on Earth that fill me with such peace, and as I tended the grounds I always felt the Spirit keenly.  It is sacred ground.  For those who have never been there, the temple grounds are situated off the beaten track, deep in the farm country of Caldwell County, Missouri.  The temple grounds are, in fact, surrounded by farmers’ fields and the soothing sounds of nature.  It is a quiet place, bereft of the hubbub of highway or busy crowd.  All you can hear are the sounds of the wind blowing across the fields and through the trees, and the song of birds as the go about their day.  I often would close my eyes during my lunch break and revel in the sense of peace.  I rarely get to feel that in my life, and every time I finished mowing and pruning I left Far West feeling comforted and happy.  It truly is a sacred place.

Upon entering the temple grounds, directly to your left and to your right there are two very large stones.  Both measure approximately three feet wide by four feet long, and I couldn’t even begin to imagine how much they weigh.  These are two of the corner stones that were laid down on July 4, 1838.  They are large and very weathered, but their purpose was set aside to hold up a singularly important piece of architecture.  I’ve always imagined that they were chosen with great care and laid with exactness.
Every time I see those stones, I have to marvel at all the effort, planning, and troubleshooting that had to go into moving them from where they were quarried, to where they now reside.  For those of you who have seen the movie “The Mountain of the Lord,” you have an understanding of just what went into such an endeavor during that time period.

Today the Lord has given us modern tools and technologies that make building a much more exact science.  We can build bigger, faster, and more conveniently than we could in the past – but not necessarily better.  Cornerstones have largely become obsolete, more symbolic than functional; but spiritually, they are requisite to our salvation.   Without these spiritual cornerstones, the foundation of our testimony is weak and will easily falter.

This thought has pressed upon me a great deal of late.  In fact it won’t leave me alone.  It leads me to ask: What are the four great spiritual cornerstones that Zion will be built upon?  What are the stones that will not only support the church and its purpose collectively, but also each of us individually?

These are the four cornerstones that I came up with: Jesus Christ; Faith, Hope, and Charity; the Law of God (both the gospels of long ago and modern day); and the Family.  I’ll go more into each one of my choices as the week goes on.

But what do you think?  What are the cornerstones that you feel Zion should be based on?

Until Tuesday!

Jeffrey

P.S. I was convinced to try out shorter posts for a while.  It means that I'll be posting more during the week, assuming you can stand to hear from me that often.  Either way, I'd like to know your thoughts.  Which is better? One long post updated every Sunday, or three smaller posts spread out over the course of the week?  Email me at zionblogger@gmail.com and let me know!