Saturday, October 23, 2021

"ROCK" CLIMBING

"ROCK" CLIMBING 


I remember an occasion many years ago, when me and my three brothers were rock climbing.  One brother had already successfully made the climb to the top.  He was encouraging my youngest brother, who was currently climbing and was nearing the top of the sheer rock face, as we belayed him with ropes from below.

 

(This is a google image - not actually of my brother's climb)

From where we were out and away from the cliff, and from the position of my brother above, we could see there was a good, solid handhold just above where our climbing brother was reaching, which would allow him to safely grasp and pull himself up and towards the top where he could rest triumphantly.   But despite our coaxing, from where he was, body flat against the cliff, he could not see it.  After several moments of reaching and feeling along the rock face he started to fatigue and shake and finally cried out, "There's nothing!"

 


We could see the secure handhold in the rock and encouraged him to stretch and reach just one inch higher.  Exerting himself just a bit more than he had previously, he finally stretched beyond what he thought his limits were, and caught that perfect grip.



This gave him the needed leverage and propelled Him up and over the top.  He stood, shouting in joy and triumph, and embraced his older brother who had been coaching along from the top.  And we who were still below, and had yet to make the climb, also cheered and celebrated at his success.

 


I think our journey towards the promised blessings of Zion is a lot like this climbing experience.  In the midst of the arduous climb, focused so intently upon just holding on to the rock, we can't always see or recognize how close we are to the top or where the next secure handhold or foothold of faith is located.

 

Some climbers attempt to free climb, with no safety ropes or anchors for security.  And while this may seem more exhilarating, it is a method which is fraught with peril.  For one missed grasp, or slip of the foot will send them crashing downward with no one to arrest their fall.

 


Our safest course is with the help of other experienced guides and climbers, who know the best route to take and where the most secure hand and foot holds are located.  Then, when we reach points along the way where we cannot see what to do next, we will have the guidance of the Spirit and others who can more clearly see (Called Prophets & Seers), encouraging us, "Hold on!  Stretch a bit more!  Reach a little further!  Trust me, it is right there!  You are almost to the top!"

 




When we finally reach the top of our journey up mount Zion, and are resting in the embrace of our Elder Brother and Savior, who successfully climbed the path and overcame every obstacle, the elation and joy of having made the climb successfully will likely far exceed anything we have imagined.  And we will find that the rock we have been securely climbing on has been none other than The Rock, our Savior and Redeemer who is The Way.

 

"Journey's End" by Derek Hegsted

Until that glorious moment comes - Just hold on!  Keep climbing!  Stretch a little farther!  We are almost there!


"... prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him." - Job 11:13

Monday, October 11, 2021

STRENGTHENING OUR SPIRITUAL FOUNDATIONS

 STRENGTHENING OUR SPIRITUAL FOUNDATIONS

If you have ever read the Lord of the Rings books or seen the movies, you might recall the battle which took place at Helm’s Deep.  It was a fortress and refuge built up against the solid towering mountains.  It was a place which had always withstood the attack of its enemies throughout the history of the people of Rohan.  It had never fallen.  So, when the evil Orc armies began to attack, the King ordered all of the people to retreat into Helm’s Deep where they could outlast and hold off the invasion attempts.  The King was confident in their security in this time-tested and proven stronghold.

 


But as the orc army attacked, their brutality, relentlessness, and endless numbers were unexpected!



They assaulted the causeway and the main door with a battering ram. They used ladders to try and scale the high, protective walls.  And yet the defenses held.  Despite the attacks, the King remained confident and proclaimed, almost in a challenge to his enemy, “Is that it? Is that the best you can muster?”

 


But the enemy had discovered one, small, previously unnoticed weakness in the foundation of the protective walls.  It was a small drain hole.



And the enemy seized its opportunity.  Using a new tactic, they set an explosion, breached the wall, and began to overrun the castle and those who were fighting to defend it.



As the people were falling and retreating deeper into the fortress in an effort to protect themselves, King Théoden, is in shock, and declared, “What can men do against such reckless hate?”  He was caught unawares at the relentless brutality of the attack and did not know that a weakness existed in the previously sure and solid foundation of his fortress.

 

Now consider some of what Pres. Russell M. Nelson just taught and encouraged us to consider in this latest conference.

 “…it is now time that we each implement extraordinary measures—perhaps measures we have never taken before—to strengthen our personal spiritual foundations. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures.  My dear brothers and sisters, these are the latter days. If you and I are to withstand the forthcoming perils and pressures, it is imperative that we each have a firm spiritual foundation built upon the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  So I ask each of you, how firm is your foundation? And what reinforcements to your testimony and understanding of the gospel are needed?”

 

How much have we considered and followed up on these invitations?  Have we begun to look at our own spiritual foundations, and prayerfully asked the Lord to show us what weaknesses and previously unknown spiritual drain holes might exist and make us vulnerable to attack?  Have we asked Him how we might go about filling those potential weak spots and fortify ourselves more completely?  Is our foundation sure, solid, and FULLY anchored to the Rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ?

 


It seems we have been warned repeatedly over the past several years, that between now and when the Lord comes again, the attacks of the adversary against our spiritual foundations will be intensified, relentless, brutal, unexpected, and in ways we have never been assaulted before.  And we cannot rest upon our previously successful attempts and measures of defense.  We have been repeatedly counseled, encouraged, and pleaded with to take new, extraordinary, and unprecedented protective measures and preparations if we hope to survive the attacks.

 

I also find another interesting comparison in the Lord of the Rings stories and what the prophet is trying to tell us, in regards to temple worship and the urgency of gathering Israel through covenants on both sides of the veil.  This is in relation to the battles of Helm’s Deep and also the enemies unprecedented assault on the white city of Minas Tirith.

 

In both battles, the enemy was only overcome and defeated because supportive armies and outside friendly forces came to offer support to those who were defending their walled cities which were being overrun.  And in the case of Minas Tirith, it was an army of deceased warriors, who had been summoned to fulfill their covenants and oaths to fight for the King, who eventually provided the strength in battle to overcome the evil forces and prevent the walled city from falling.

 




I find those parallels fascinating in relation to the work and service in the temple, as we strengthen not only our own spiritual foundations through our worship and service there, but also provide opportunities for our deceased ancestors to make covenants with the Lord through proxy ordinances.  And as we serve in their behalf, I believe many or most of them are so grateful, that they in turn seek to do all they can to then protect and guard us through our mortal journey and the attacks of the adversary.  

 



And oh, how I think we will need the strength of our ancestors as we face the unprecedented attacks in the months and years ahead.  Now is not the time to shy away from our temple covenants, service and worship, or to hesitate or doubt because of small procedural changes which the Lord may be implementing to Hasten the Work of this important gathering of friendly forces on both sides of the veil.


It is also interesting to note, that in both battles in the Lord of the Rings series, the outside help only came in the final hours.  The defenders had to determine to "fight to the last man" and be willing to endure to the end, whatever that end might be, or else they would have been swept off before the help finally came to deliver them.

In similar manner, we must hold faithful and true to the knowledge we have and the covenants we have made.  We worship a God of the 4th watch, who often steps in with His divine deliverance only after we have proven ourselves fully committed to the cause.  So Hold strong and battle on, even when the odds seem out of your favor!


Pres. Nelson adds, “The temple lies at the center of strengthening our faith and spiritual fortitude because the Savior and His doctrine are the very heart of the temple. Everything taught in the temple, through instruction and through the Spirit, increases our understanding of Jesus Christ. His essential ordinances bind us to Him through sacred priesthood covenants. Then, as we keep our covenants, He endows us with His healing, strengthening power.  And oh, how we will need His power in the days ahead.  We have been promised that ‘if [we] are prepared [we] shall not fear.’  This assurance has profound implications today. The Lord has declared that despite today’s unprecedented challenges, those who build their foundations upon Jesus Christ, and have learned how to draw upon His power, need not succumb to the unique anxieties of this era.  …I plead with you to seek—prayerfully and consistently—to understand temple covenants and ordinances.  Spiritual doors will open. You will learn how to part the veil between heaven and earth, how to ask for God’s angels to attend you, and how better to receive direction from heaven. Your diligent efforts to do so will reinforce and strengthen your spiritual foundation. …Please believe me when I say that when your spiritual foundation is built solidly upon Jesus Christ, you have no need to fear. As you are true to your covenants made in the temple, you will be strengthened by His power. Then, when spiritual earthquakes occur, you will be able to stand strong because your spiritual foundation is solid and immovable.”


 

May we double and re-double our humble efforts to prepare, seek the Lord’s help in discovering and fortifying the previously undetected weak spots in our foundations, and build up and summon our friendly, supportive, outside forces to help us stand strong and overcome the attacks of the adversary, and stand with humble confidence and faith upon the Rock of our Redeemer, whose foundation in sure and cannot fall.

 


“And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.” – Helaman 5:12