Lift: The Power of Service

This is an incredible story about Kathy, a woman with Multiple Sclerosis, and the men who help put her in bed every night.  It would be hard to ask for this help, and it would be hard to give.  It is amazing how these men overcame their resistant; and this is a service that has been going on for years.  It exemplifies "lifting."

Dec 1: Jesus Lifted Others’ Burdens and So Can You

This is day one of the #LIGHTtheWORLD campaign.  It starts with a day of service.  I am praying for opportunities to serve,

Pinnacles National Park: Day after Thanksgiving

Pinnacles National Park is the newest national park, but was a national monument for many years.  Even though we live close, we had never been there.  This is a hiking park, with one campground.  This time of year is a good time to go as it is not too hot.  It is known for some crazy uplifts, which created the pinnacles.  It also has several caves.  We decided this trip to see some of the pinnacles.  We hiked up Condor Gulch Trail.  The condors must have been nesting, or out to see.  They nest in the cliffs, and they travel quite a ways.  The ranger said they mostly eat carrion.  We did see a skinny lizard, and the woodpeckers were very active.  We listened to and saw several of them.

Hiking and rock climbing

Pinnacles

rock

gnarly trees

woodpecker

lizard, just above the small rock in the center

Light the World: Starting Thursday Next Week

Here is a project for Christmas, 25 days of giving, called Light the World.  Each day of December is filled with challenges, to love and serve as Jesus did.  Hopefully many of us can do this, because the world will be better as we serve.

Thanksgiving 2016

Charity's decorations

homemade cheese ball

Grandbabies playing

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nummy pie

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llittlest grandbaby

hosts

Rans

Tones

Sheri and I

The most memorable about Thanksgiving 2016 was playing with grand babies.  Charity and Anthony hosted this year, and we were pleased to have five grand babies, representing half of the total, present.   These were four, three, two, one and new born.  They each have their own sweet personalities, and  enjoyed each other's company for the most part.  I was on the floor playing dominoes, setting them up to knock them down, and Legos, setting them up to knock them down.  The babies also pushed strollers and held baby dolls, and colored.  I took a long turn with baby Asher, still less than a month old.  

I ate a ton, and had more than my share of butterscotch pie.  There were also several after dinner games, including guys against women charade type games using a cell phone.  We also played another guessing game, and ended with a three way tie, Tony catching up with the leader all on the last turn.

Biographical Book Review: Charles C. Rich: Mormon General and Western Frontiersman

Charles C RIch: Mormon general and Western Frontiersman,
Leonard J. Arrington, Brigham Young University Press, Provo,
Utah, 1974.
I have ben fascinated by this book.  This is the story of an apostle,
who experienced many of the early events of the Church.
He participated in Zion's Camp, and saw the Lord defend his
men through a storm which prevented the gentiles from being
able to mount an attack.  He was at Far West when the prophet
was taken.  He served missions to England in the early days
of the Church.  Perhaps one of the most important places in
church history was the establishment of San Bernardino in
California, which was established as a lace for the Saints to
rest if they should come around the Horn and up to California
and then on to Utah.  I never realized much of the history of this
community, and how the Mormons eventually left.  The Church
was paying an incredible amount of interest on the property.
They often would have to go to members and ask for donations,
this included John Horner who became a wealthy farmer in the
Bay Area after traveling on the Ship Brooklyn.  Even with
donations, it seems there was always another payment due.
Persecution also found it way to San Bernardino, with non
Mormons wanting to take over the property of the Mormons.
Finally Brigham Young decided it was time to give up the property
rather than making the payments.  He called Charles Rich and
other leaders on missions to Europe.  The Church owned property
was let go.  Some Mormons on private property continued on,
but most returned to Utah.  Charles Rich subsequently was called
to found the area around Bear Lake, and the Utah County is named
for him.  This area is incredibly cold in the winter, the the cold
weather caused some problems with people being snowed in
for months during the winter.  Sometimes travel was dangerous
due to snow.  Charles Rich passed away in Paris, Idaho in 1983.
He was 74 years old.  

Duck at the Ace Station: Lathrop Manteca

I don't know how this fellow got to the parking lot, by we wasn't flying away.  He seemed a bit disoriented, but he was also wary, staying well away from people.

Cub Scouts: Tony, Sheri and The Scouting For Food 2016

I was assigned to drive around and pick up food from groups who couldn't hold any more.  I was pretty busy.  And by the end, we had over six shopping carts of food to drop off.  Six plus carrying in several bags without carts.  We took it to the Sequoia Baptist Church on Union, and they had quite an operation to process the donations quickly.  There was also over $30 in cash donations.

The Garden - Salt Lake Community College, October 2002

The cast is obviously amateur, but the story comes through.  You can find other places to listen to individual songs which may be more professionally done, but this is the only place I have found to get the whole story of the garden of Gethsemane.

Yea I Voted

Trump wasn't my first choice for president.  I preferred Ted Cruz or Ben Carson.  I even thought about sitting this one out.  However I am part of the never Hillary crowd.  I couldn't bring myself to vote for a criminal who was willing to risk our constitution for her greed.  And not voting was a vote for her as well.  So I actually voted for a winner this year in the finals; even though California as a
state gave Clinton like 3 and a half million more votes than Trump.