Jet Mariano

Tag: taylorsville temple

  • Marked In Time – “21 Guidelines for Righteous Living” – Elder Neal A. Maxwell

    Setting crescent moon over the Taylorsville Utah Temple at dawn—just left of the spire—captured as a double exposure with a 70–200mm f/2.8G lens.

    Personal Note
    I listened to this 37-minute devotional more than twenty times from yesterday to today. It felt like a magnet—I couldn’t let go of it. I even fell asleep with it playing.

    Intro

    The Three Forms of Suffering:

    1. Suffering from Sin and Stupidity
    Quote: “There’s the kind of suffering we undergo which is very real and that’s the suffering that happens because of sin and stupidity. We do dumb things. We do things that are wrong. And then we suffer.”
    This first type of suffering is a direct consequence of our own poor choices, mistakes, or sins. It’s a natural outcome of actions that go against divine or moral laws.

    2. Suffering as a Part of Life Itself
    Quote: “There’s a second form of suffering and that goes just because it’s a part of life itself. The scriptures say the Lord maketh the rain to fall on the just and the unjust alike.”
    This refers to the universal hardships and natural adversities that affect everyone, regardless of their righteousness. These are inherent stresses and strains built into the mortal experience.

    3. Soul-Stretching Suffering (The Highest Form)
    Quote: “But there’s a third form of suffering which is the highest form of suffering… There is that suffering brothers and sisters which we undergo in life because we believe because of who we are. It is that kind of suffering which comes to us because God loves us and will stretch our souls.”
    This is the most profound type of suffering, intended for our growth and refinement. It comes from a loving God who seeks to stretch our souls and help us achieve our divine potential, even when we don’t understand the reasons in the moment.

    Excerpt

    A beloved apostle mapped out a way to face “first-class challenges” with first-class discipleship—seeing suffering clearly, choosing joy over pleasure, and letting God stretch the soul He loves.

    Notes from the Devotional

    1. Make Jesus the Light of Your Life
    Quote: “Make Jesus the light of your life. And then by his light, see everything else. He is your best friend. And if you will worry most about what that friend thinks about you, you’ll be safe.”
    This counsel encourages prioritizing a relationship with Jesus Christ above all else. By focusing on what He would have us do, we can find true safety and guidance.

    Perspective

    7. The Difference Between Pleasure and Joy
    Quote: “Sometimes young people need help telling the difference between pleasure and joy… pleasure is plastic… It’s like the cotton candy you buy at the amusement park or the fairgrounds. It melts quickly in your mouth... But you will never find a substitute for joy.”
    This insight distinguishes between fleeting, superficial happiness (pleasure) and a deep, lasting state of being (joy). He reminds us that while pleasure is a temporary sensation, joy is an eternal principle centered in Christ.

    Practice (today, not someday)

    8. Righteousness as a Reflex
    Quote: “Righteousness has to become a matter of reflex. There are too many temptations and too many circumstances in life for you to always give an intellectual analysis of the sin or temptation… You’ve got to have good reflexes.”
    He taught that living righteously must become second nature. Through consistent practice, our choices should become automatic, allowing us to respond correctly to temptation without prolonged deliberation.

    The Loneliness of Righteousness (narrative bridge) — #20

    Quote: “When Shadrach Meshach and Abednego three young men were thrown into the fiery furnace that was heated to a temperature so hot that the men who tended the furnace died. The scriptures tell us as the three of them walked around in the midst of that furnace unharmed The scripture then says ‘And there was a fourth figure in the fire and its form was likened to the son of God.’ When you are passing through these trials and some of those lonely moments the Lord will be especially close to you.“
    Elder Maxwell used this powerful biblical account to illustrate that even in moments of extreme loneliness or adversity due to righteousness, the Savior is intimately present and provides comfort and protection. This reinforces the idea that choosing to live righteously, even when it means standing alone, brings us closer to God.

    Final Reflection

    16. The Stretched Soul
    Quote: “Believe in yourself not only for what you now are but for what you have the power to become… Someone has said that the soul is like a violin string. It makes music only when it is stretched. And because he loves you the Lord will stretch your soul.”
    This powerful analogy illustrates that growth requires discomfort. The challenges and hardships we face are not random but are purposeful, serving to refine us and help us reach our full potential.

    Pocket I’m keeping

    9. Guard Your Storehouse of Memories
    Quote: “Be very careful about what you let come inside your storehouse of memories. Those memories will be there for a very long time.”
    This is a call to be mindful of what we expose ourselves to, as our experiences and what we consume mentally become part of our inner spiritual landscape for the rest of our lives.

    What I hear now

    12. Bad Breaks and Disguised Opportunities
    Quote: “Remember that bad breaks need not ruin a good man or a good woman. They may even make him or her better as they did Joseph in Egypt… So often… in life opportunity comes disguised as tragedy.”
    This point offers a hopeful perspective on adversity. It suggests that even the most difficult experiences can serve as catalysts for personal growth and may contain hidden opportunities for a greater good.

    Link to the Devotional: “Guidelines for Righteous Living” Elder Neal A Maxwell, Oct 9, 1979 BYU-Idaho Speeches

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  • His Image in Your Countenance

    Rain on the glass, light in the heart—‘Have you received His image in your countenance?

    Intro
    Yesterday after work, I was driving in the rain and decided to swing by the Taylorsville Utah Temple to photograph it through the windshield. The lyric asks, “Does the Light of Christ shine in your eyes?” Storms don’t decide that—presence does. The rain softened everything, but the temple remained steady, a quiet reminder of “a beauty from within.”

    His Image in Your Countenance (Janice Kapp Perry) — full song

    With no apparent beauty that man should Him desire,
    He was the promised Savior to purify with fire.
    The world despised His plainness, but those who followed Him
    Found love and light and purity—a beauty from within.

    Chorus
    Have you received His image in your countenance?
    Does the Light of Christ shine in your eyes?
    Will He know you when He comes again, for you shall be like Him?
    When He sees you, will the Father know His child?

    We seek for light and learning as followers of Christ,
    That all may see His goodness reflected in our lives.
    When we receive His fulness and lose desire for sin,
    We radiate His perfect love—a beauty from within.

    The ways of man may tempt us, and some will be deceived,
    Preferring worldly beauty, forgetting truth received.
    But whisperings of the Spirit remind us once again
    That lasting beauty, pure and clear, must come from deep within.

    Final Reflection
    Two lines won’t leave me: “Does the Light of Christ shine in your eyes?” and “We radiate His perfect love—a beauty from within.” The first is a question of identity; the second is a promise of overflow. Christ does not polish the surface—He converts the source. When His fulness displaces our old appetites, radiance stops being borrowed and starts being reflected. The world chases visibility; disciples seek visibility of Him. And like last night’s view, life can be rainy without being dim. If He is in frame, light still finds us—and then finds others through us.

    What I hear now

    • Holiness isn’t cosmetic; it’s conducted through a willing heart.
    • Eyes preach what lips can’t; let them carry peace.
    • Reflection over performance: light, not glare.
    • Repent quickly so the window stays clear.
    • Trade comparison for compassion; both can’t live in the same face.
    • Keep the Temple in frame when the week gets rainy.
    • Ask nightly: “Did someone feel His love in my countenance today?”

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  • I’d Like to Feel This Way Again

    Taylorsville Temple, pre-sunrise—benches waiting, light rising. Day 5: “I’d like to feel this way again.”

    Intro
    Before sunrise, the temple sits like a lighthouse on the ridge, and the road in feels like a small uphill each time. Taylorsville at daybreak, five mornings straight—the air cool, the world unhurried—and something true brushed past me again and again, enough to bring tears and resolve. It felt like the quiet lift this Seminary song points to—something real, not just a mood—nudging me higher. I want to live so that what I felt in those minutes before dawn can come back tomorrow, and again after that. These images (and this song) are my reminder to keep choosing the places where that feeling can find me.

    I’d Like to Feel This Way Again
    Like the snowflakes that fall on the ground,
    words in my heart sometimes don’t make a sound.
    Like spring raindrops that fall from the sky,
    tears can be joyful, escaping my eyes.

    I’d like to feel this way again;
    I’d like to feel this way tomorrow.

    Was I just lonely—did I need a friend?
    Was it convenience, a means to an end?
    Still, something touched me—I feel it, I do;
    some kind of message is trying to get through.

    I’d like to feel this way again;
    I’d like to feel this way tomorrow.

    Deep in there, words just burn within me;
    such new emotions I have known.
    Deepen their teachings; lift me higher—
    higher than all the blessings I have known.

    Sometimes the wind tries to turn me around—
    “Give up the climb, it’s so nice to come down.”
    Somehow this feeling keeps pushing me high;
    tells me it’s treasure I stumbled upon.

    I’d like to feel this way again;
    I’d like to feel this way tomorrow.
    I’d like to feel this way again;
    I’d like to feel this way forever.

    Source note
    “I’d Like to Feel This Way Again,” Seminary album Free to Choose (1987). Words & music: Ron Simpson.

    Final reflection
    For me, this lyric is about a real but delicate moment with God—quiet enough that words stumble, strong enough that tears come. The chorus isn’t chasing emotion; it’s choosing a life that welcomes the Spirit back. The questions (“Was I just lonely?”) are honest self-checks, but the fire in the words—how truth “burns within”—confirms it’s more than mood. The “wind” that tells me to turn around is the ordinary pull of ease and hurry; the climb is discipleship. And the push “higher” is grace, turning a chance moment into a new pattern. That’s why I keep coming back before sunrise. The temple on the horizon, the stillness, the scripture that settles, the small covenants kept—these are the places where that feeling returns, tomorrow, and—by His mercy—again and again.

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    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • Line Upon Line

    The Taylorsville Utah Temple at dusk, framed by golden wheat and roses. A reminder that spiritual harvests come “line upon line, precept upon precept” — in His time, His way, His will.

    There are weeks that pass quietly, and there are weeks that rearrange your spirit. In the span of just seven days, I’ve walked into the Taylorsville Temple three times. Each visit has been different, but together they’ve built something remarkable — a deepened layer of understanding, given to me line upon line, precept on precept.

    I think of my journey from 1981 up to today as “college-level” preparation in spiritual learning. Now, here in Utah, the Lord has been giving me what feels more like a “doctorate-level” education: His time, His way, His will.

    It’s like watching the stars appear at night.
    First one little light shines over there
    in the western sky, and then another,
    and then another — until finally, look for yourself…

    A whole wonderful endless universe
    began with one little star.

    Line upon line, precept on precept.
    That is how He lifts us, that is how He teaches His children.
    Line upon line, precept on precept.
    Like a summer shower giving us each hour His wisdom.
    If we are patient we shall see
    How the pieces fit together in harmony.
    We’ll know who we are in this big universe
    And then we’ll live with Him forever.

    But until it happens…

    Line upon line, precept on precept.
    That is how He lifts us, that is how He teaches His children.
    Line upon line, precept on precept.
    Like a summer shower giving us each hour His wisdom.

    (From Saturday’s Warrior, 1973 — Words by Doug Stewart, Music by Lex de Azevedo)

    Final Reflection

    Tonight in the Celestial Room, I prayed not to impose my will but to listen. What I felt wasn’t a grand vision but a gentle whisper — a reminder that revelation unfolds step by step, not all at once.

    Life keeps unfolding in ways I don’t always anticipate. Some lines remain unanswered, others open unexpectedly, but together they form a pattern that teaches me to trust the timing.

    Line upon line, I see how the Lord has been shaping my path. What once felt scattered now begins to come together in harmony — not all finished, but moving toward His perfect design.

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    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • Only Whisper: Hearing the Voice of the Shepherd at Taylorsville Temple

    I have been here many times, but yesterday was special — the Taylorsville Temple became the backdrop for a sacred lesson on hearing the Lord’s voice.

    Only Whisper

    Revelation is never ours to control; it comes when and how the Lord chooses (D&C 88:68). He alone decides:

    1. To whom it is given
    2. When it is given
    3. How it is given
    4. What is given

    Yesterday, in the quiet holiness of the Taylorsville Temple, I was reminded of all four — not in grand visions, but in a gentle nudge. Even with my mind still learning to fully let go, the Lord chose to speak in His own way. It was not a rebuke, but a whisper — enough to remind me that He knows where I am, and He knows how to guide me forward.

    Most of the time, I move quickly — eager to help, eager to act — even when wisdom would invite me to slow down. I’ve often rushed to finish what’s before me rather than take time for careful preparation or documentation. Yet I’m learning that these slower, quieter moments are part of the work itself. King Benjamin taught that “all these things are to be done in wisdom and order” (Mosiah 4:27). Even after his people entered into a covenant with God, he paused to record each name (Mosiah 6:1) — a small, deliberate act that safeguarded sacred promises.

    And so, in that stillness, the Lord’s counsel from D&C 88:68 settled deeply — to keep my mind single to Him, even while I’m still learning to let go of what I hold dear. His voice is often a whisper, shaping not only what to do, but how and when to do it — in His way, and in His perfect timing.

    While pondering my temple experience in Taylorsville, this Seminary song came to mind, perfectly echoing the message of D&C 88:68:

    (From the Seminary song Voice of the Shepherd, Hold to the Rod series 1-6)

    I want to hear — really want to hear,
    But the sounds of the world loudly ring in my ear,
    While the voice of the Lord that is calling me near
    Only whisper.

    The voice of the Lord is so still, so small,
    I wonder if that’s what I’m hearing at all.
    How can I know if I heard the call of the Shepherd?

    I have His promise, but I have my choice;
    To be of His fold is to hear His voice.
    Knock, and He’ll open — ask and receive from the Shepherd.

    The voice of the world comes on so strong,
    Always insisting you’ve got to belong.
    How far can I follow without doing wrong to the Shepherd?

    Which is the world’s voice? Which voice is mine?
    Which voice is offering a message divine?
    I have His promise, but I have my choice;
    To be of His fold is to hear His voice.
    Knock, and He’ll open — ask and receive from the Shepherd.

    Now as I kneel here next to my bed,
    Chasing the voices from out of my head,
    Listening for feelings in my heart instead, comes a whisper —

    Wonderful message, welcome sound,
    Strange how loudly a whispering sounds.
    The hope that escaped me before has been found in the Shepherd.

    He gave His promise; I made my choice.
    I came to His call when I heard His voice.
    I knocked, and He opened; I asked and received from the Shepherd.

    There is peace in moving at the Lord’s pace (Mosiah 4:27).
    The temple stands, the Spirit speaks, and heaven records even what is unseen (D&C 88:68).
    In that stillness, I let go… trusting that what is meant for me will remain — even when my focus is imperfect, and my heart is still learning to let go of certain things.

    This reminded me of a season when I chased a goal with all my strength—read more in Sacred Reflections

    Most of the time, I am in a hurry and eager to help, preferring to act immediately rather than wait or work through slower, more deliberate steps. I’ve often found myself wanting to get things done rather than take time for careful preparation or documentation — yet I’m learning that these slower moments are part of the work itself. King Benjamin taught that “all these things are to be done in wisdom and order” (Mosiah 4:27). Even after his people entered into a covenant with God, he took the time to record each name (Mosiah 6:1) — a simple act of order that safeguarded sacred commitments.

    In the sacred quiet of the Taylorsville Temple, I felt the Lord’s counsel from D&C 88:68 settle deep into my heart — to keep my mind single to Him, even while my heart is still learning to fully let go. His voice came not as a rebuke, but as a whisper — reminding me that He knows where I am, He knows what I’m carrying, and He knows how to guide me forward.

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    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • Marked In Time – “I’m Glad I’m Me”

    Manila Philippines Temple — first light through the palms. When I joined the Church there were 4 missions in the Philippines; today there are 26. From 1 temple then to 13 now (3 operating, 10 under construction). Truly, “miracles of knowledge” — and truth can grow and thrive.

    Excerpt

    A quiet temple night—and a Seminary song—reminded me that “miracles of knowledge” are all around us, and that I can be glad to be me while still becoming better.

    Intro

    Some moments stay because they’re loud and unforgettable. Others stay because they’re quiet—so quiet you almost miss them. My August 9 visit to the Taylorsville Utah Temple was one of those moments. It was an only whisper kind of day that made me pause and take in where I am in life. In that stillness, the Seminary song “I’m Glad I’m Me” (from Gates of Zion) returned and reframed where I am—technically, spiritually, and personally.

    Notes from the “Seminary Song, Gates of Zion Album, 1979″

    I’m glad I’m me

    Today is warm and wonderful, it’s my day
    What a time to be alive
    There’s miracles of knowledge all around me
    And man can soar, truth can grow and thrive

    The world has waited breathlessly for this day
    And I’m part of what they waited for
    With those who before I share the blessing
    Opportunity not dreamed about people

    I’m glad I’m me
    and yes I’m glad I know the answers
    Know why I’m here and what I’m living for
    I want to be the best I can be I want to do
    What I was sent here for

    I have work to do while it’s still my day
    There’s so much love and happiness to gie
    I’m glad to think that I was counted worthy
    That I was saved for this great day to live

    I’m glad I’m me
    And Yes I’m glad I know the answers
    Know why I’m here, and what I’m living for
    I wan to be the best I can be I want to do
    What I sent here for

    Perspective (direct quotes) — aligned to the song

    • “I must work the works… while it is day.” — John 9:4
    • “Seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” — D&C 88:118
    • “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” — Mosiah 2:17

    Practice (today, not someday) — phrased from the lyrics

    • Know why I’m here: write one sentence of purpose for today and read it before you start.
    • Be the best I can be: choose one skill to sharpen (document the “miracle of knowledge” you used).
    • Do what I was sent here for: finish one task that directly blesses a person/team.
    • Share the blessing: teach one thing you learned (short note, screenshot, or 2-minute huddle).

    Final Reflection

    When I first started in IT, “miracles of knowledge” looked very different—no Azure, AWS, or GCP; the Internet for a few universities; rooms of hardware; Google not yet a verb; AI still fiction. Today we carry more compute in our pockets than those machines ever dreamed of. That’s not just progress—it’s an everyday miracle.
    Knowing why I’m here, I want to be the best I can be and do what I was sent here for: stay curious, be ready for the unexpected, show up prepared, learn from every storm, and find meaning in the work and relationships along the way. I’m grateful for this moment—where heaven’s whisper meets technology’s light. And yes, I’m glad I’m me.

    Pocket I’m Keeping

    Know why I’m here; do what I was sent here for.

    What I Hear Now

    “Be the best you can be—today.” • “Use knowledge to lift.”

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    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

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