Jet Mariano

Tag: Temple Photography

  • MIT8 “The Challenge to Become”

    Day: Autumn flowers and clear sky framing the Orem Utah Temple—captured before my proxy endowment.
    Night: The Orem Utah Temple illuminated under the moon—taken after completing sacred ordinances.

    Excerpt

    Becoming is more than doing—it’s transforming. The gospel doesn’t just ask for effort; it asks for change.

    Intro

    These photos were taken on October 18, 2025—before and after my proxy endowment at the Orem Utah Temple. The sunlight and moonlight felt like bookends to a sacred day.

    I never photograph temples as a tourist. Each image is a memory of worship—an imprint of the moment I performed sacred ordinances and left a part of my old self on the altar. The lens simply helps me remember what the Spirit taught that day.

    President Dallin H. Oaks’ message “The Challenge to Become” echoed in my mind as I walked the temple grounds: the gospel is not about what we do but who we become through covenant living.

    Perspective

    The temple reminds me that becoming is a process. Every ordinance refines character. Every act of service—inside or outside the temple—draws me nearer to what Heavenly Father intends me to be.

    President Oaks’ invitation is personal: the world values performance; heaven values transformation. My work, my worship, and my quiet efforts at home and at Church are all shaping me into something more Christlike.

    When I leave the temple, I ask not, “What did I accomplish?” but “Who am I becoming?”

    Direct Quotes from President Oaks

    “It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.”

    “In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something.”

    Practice (today, not someday)

    I will focus less on checking boxes and more on softening my heart. In every task—whether leading, fixing, or serving—I’ll remember that heaven measures growth, not status.

    Becoming Christlike happens quietly: through patience with others, humility in learning, and gratitude after every challenge.

    Final Reflection

    President Oaks’ counsel changes how I see discipleship. The gospel isn’t a checklist; it’s a journey of transformation. Every temple visit, every ordinance, every prayer adds to who I am becoming.

    I’m grateful the Lord sees me not as I am but as I can be. That vision gives purpose to every struggle, reminding me that growth is the goal—and grace is the guide.

    Pocket I’m Keeping

    “The gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something.”
    That single line redefines every effort I make.

    What I Hear Now

    “Keep walking. You’re not just doing—you’re becoming.”

    Behind the Shot (BTS)

    Saturday, October 18, 2025—before and after my proxy endowment at the Orem Utah Temple. The late afternoon light revealed bright autumn blooms; by nightfall, the temple glowed beneath the moon. Both shots symbolize the Lord’s invitation to grow from light to greater light.

    Link to the Talk

    The Challenge to Become — President Dallin H. Oaks
    https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2000/10/the-challenge-to-become?lang=eng

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • MIT8: “Loneliness with Righteousness”

    Crescent moon rising above the Taylorsville Utah Temple spire—captured in double exposure before sunrise. 70-200 2.8G mounted on tripod

    Excerpt

    Elder Neal A. Maxwell teaches that the loneliness that sometimes comes with righteousness is where we grow closer to God—and where we learn the courage of “But if not.”

    Intro

    At 6 a.m., Oct 17, 2025, I pulled over at the Taylorsville Temple and framed a moon-over-spire double exposure while listening (again) to Elder Maxwell’s 21 Guidelines for Righteous Living—especially Guideline 20. This week’s trials were real, yet the Spirit kept bringing me back to Daniel 3: God can deliver—but if not, we still will not bow. That truth has turned my fear of workload into faith to move forward with Him.

    Notes from Elder Neal A. Maxwell

    • Righteousness can feel lonely, but that is where we come closer to God.
    • Fidelity means not bowing—even when the fire is hot.
    • God is able to deliver; But if not, disciples still trust and obey.
    • Act in faith now—serve, pray, and work; heaven’s help becomes practical courage.

    Perspective (direct quotes )

    The Story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
    To emphasize this point, Elder Maxwell recounts the biblical story:

    The Fiery Furnace: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into a fiery furnace that was heated to such a high temperature that the men who tended the furnace died.

    The Fourth Figure: The scriptures describe the three young men walking around in the midst of the 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.”

    The Promise: Elder Maxwell concludes that when you are passing through these trials and lonely moments, the Lord will be especially close to you.

    They were cast into the fire because they refused to bow to the idol of King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 3:16–17). Their loyalty brought them closer to God—the pattern for all discipleship.

    Scripture (Daniel 3:17–18)

    17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
    18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

    Practice (today, not someday)

    • Pray, then step into the hard tickets and deadlines: God is able—but if not, I still will not bow to fear or compromise.
    • Serve and mentor anyway; courage grows as I lift others.
    • Keep temple focus and steady duty; closer to God is the goal, not merely quick fixes.

    Final Reflection

    Elder Maxwell’s witness reframed my week: **God can deliver—**and often He does. But if not, I can still move forward with Him. As I prayed and worked, impressions came and solutions followed. Either way, the fire became a classroom, and I felt closer to God than ever.

    Pocket I’m Keeping

    “God is able—but if not, I will not bow.”
    If there is a furnace, there is also a Fourth.

    What I Hear Now

    “Trust Me. Whether I calm the fire or walk you through it, you are not alone.”

    Link to the talk

    “21 Guidelines for Righteous Living” — Elder Neal A. Maxwell (YouTube)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4bVYkkNeWE&t=300s

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • Overcome the World & Find Rest — Jordan River Temple

    Jordan River Utah Temple — Rain on Glass. iPhone shot from the driver’s seat; focus on the droplets to let the temple bloom softly behind. Light edit for contrast/clarity on the foreground drops.

    Excerpt
    When life is heavy, rest isn’t escape—it’s yoking with Christ and keeping covenants. Even through rain-blurred glass, the temple holds steady.

    Intro
    After sacrament it poured. I drove to the Jordan River Temple and stayed in the car, letting the storm drum on the windshield. Through a thousand raindrops, the spire stayed true. That quiet minute was my rest.

    Perspective (direct quotes)

    • “Come unto me… and I will give you rest. … My yoke is easy.” (Matthew 11:28–30)
    • “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
    • President Russell M. Nelson: Covenant keepers have increased access to the power of Jesus Christ and are entitled to a special kind of rest through their covenant relationship with God.

    Principles

    • Rest comes with the yoke, not from running away.
    • The covenant path stays visible—even when everything else is blurry.
    • Small, steady acts (prayer, sacrament, ministering, temple) invite power and peace.

    Practice (today, not someday)

    • Name one burden and yoke it to Christ in prayer.
    • Keep one covenant action (text a ministering message, schedule a temple visit).
    • Trade one distraction for five minutes of stillness with the scriptures.

    Pocket I’m Keeping
    Covenants > chaos. I can rest while it rains.

    What I Hear Now
    “Walk with Me.” • “Let the temple teach you to rise.”

    Link to the Talk

    Full talk: “Overcome the World and Find Rest” — President Russell M. Nelson (Oct 2022 General Conference)

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • Marked in Time Sep 9, 2025 – Repent of Our Selfishness

    Waning gibbous, waiting: I timed the moon to rest behind the Angel Moroni atop the Oquirrh Mountain Temple—quiet light on a higher call.

    Excerpt
    Selfishness is not just a flaw—it’s self-destruction in slow motion. Elder Neal A. Maxwell teaches that meekness is the real cure, for it doesn’t just mask selfishness but dissolves it.

    Intro
    Joseph Smith urged that selfishness be “not only buried, but annihilated.” Elder Maxwell builds on that: selfishness shrinks the soul, corrodes society, and detonates commandments. Like Copernicus reminding the world it wasn’t the center of the universe, we too must learn—we are not the center. Meekness and unselfish discipleship are the only antidotes.

    Straight line (what he’s saying)
    • Selfishness = self-destruction in slow motion. It narrows life until others no longer matter.
    • Appetite and ego can never fill emptiness; zero multiplied by anything is still zero.
    • Selfishness masks itself as swagger but is as provincial as goldfish in a bowl.
    • Joseph Smith: selfish feelings must be annihilated, not moderated.
    • Common forms: puffing credit, resenting others’ success, withholding kindness, rudeness, and abuse.
    • Cultural consequence: when selfishness spreads, societies decline—without mercy, without love, past feeling.
    • Selfishness detonates the Ten Commandments: it fuels envy, adultery, dishonesty, even murder.
    • Cain’s “I am free” after slaying Abel = ultimate selfish blindness.
    • Today: people strain at gnats (small issues) while swallowing camels (grave sins like abortion).
    • Followers share accountability with leaders in cultural decline; excuses won’t save.
    • True freedom comes from unselfishness—serving, forgiving, and lifting others.
    • Christ Himself is the supreme contrast: He did not look out for “number one.”

    Final reflection
    Selfishness corrodes both heart and culture. The cure is meekness—choosing to notice, to yield, to bless. When I dissolve selfish wants, space opens for Christlike love. The world says “look out for number one”; Jesus says, “lose yourself and you’ll find life.”

    Pocket I’m keeping
    • Before big actions: quietly ask, “Whose needs am I meeting?”
    • Practice daily meekness: count to 10 before speaking, let the Spirit filter words.
    • Replace envy with gratitude; bless the success of others.
    • Sow unselfishness in family life—ordinary duties cultivate extraordinary love.
    • Remember: selfishness shrinks, meekness expands.

    What I hear now
    Unselfishness frees me under a “freer sky,” as Chesterton said. Meekness is not weakness—it’s strength without selfishness. When I choose it, selfishness dissolves and discipleship deepens.

    Link to the talk
    “Repent of [Our] Selfishness” — Elder Neal A. Maxwell

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • Marked in Time — “According to the Desire of [Our] Hearts” (Neal A. Maxwell)

    Waxing gibbous moon peeking through stormy blue over the Jordan River Utah Temple, Friday night (9/5/25), framed by leaves and looking East South East of the sky.

    lle’s “preconditioning,” included the Power of Now reference, and linked the YouTube clip you gave me:

    Excerpt
    Desire steers destiny. Elder Neal A. Maxwell teaches that God judges “according to the desire of [our] hearts”—and helps us train those desires toward Him.

    Intro
    Maxwell reframes agency at its core: desires are the drivers. Genes, circumstances, and environments matter, but—as he reminds us—“there remains an inner zone in which we are sovereign, unless we abdicate.” In that sacred space lies our real agency.

    Eckhart Tolle explains the other side of the equation in what he calls preconditioning:

    “Mental and emotional filters: our minds are filled with ingrained narratives, beliefs, and emotional patterns that act like lenses through which we view the world.”

    (The Power of Now; also shared in his YouTube talk on preconditioning)

    Those filters shape perception, just as culture, family patterns, and past wounds bend behavior. Yet, as Maxwell insists, they cannot erase that sovereign inner zone. What we persistently desire is who we become—and what we receive.

    Straight line (what he’s saying)
    • Desire is more than preference; it’s a real longing that directs agency and outcomes.
    • God mercifully considers our desires, works, and degrees of difficulty—yet won’t force us.
    • Satan desires our misery; wrong desires make us our own victims.
    • Lukewarmness flattens the soul; righteous desires must be relentless, daily.
    • Education of desire = learn truth and learn to love it; small acts create spiritual momentum.
    • “Do you,” President Brigham Young asked, “think that people will obey the truth because it is true, unless they love it? No, they will not” (Journal of Discourses, 7:55).
    • Some desires must dissolve (envy, self-pity); weak righteous desires can grow strong.
    • Parents teach and model, but each soul must choose; God’s arm is stretched out still.
    • In process of time, holy desires produce holy works.
    • Preconditioning may set the stage—but the sovereign inner zone decides the play.

    Final reflection
    My outcomes track my appetites. When I aim my wants at ease or applause, I drift. When I aim them at Jesus, momentum returns. Desire is today’s steering wheel. Elder Maxwell’s reminder of the inner zone keeps me accountable: I can’t blame culture, genes, or preconditioning. They explain, but they don’t excuse. Tolle helps me name the filters that fog my lens, but Maxwell reminds me that God still waits on what I choose to desire.

    Pocket I’m keeping
    • Pray, then plan by desire: “More holiness give me” → schedule one aligned act.
    • Replace envy with intercession: bless the person I’d be tempted to compare with.
    • Feed the flame daily—scripture, sacrament, service—before screens.
    • Name one mis-aimed desire and starve it for a week.
    • Measure progress by direction and devotion, not dopamine.

    What I hear now
    If I train my want-to, God will shape my able-to. Even a spark—“I desire to believe”—is enough for Him to begin multiplying light.

    Link to the talk
    “According to the Desire of [Our] Hearts” — Elder Neal A. Maxwell

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • Marked in Time — “Preparing to Stand on Holy Ground”

    Reflections before reverence — a quiet stream “washes the edge” as the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple rises in the pool, a reminder to lay down our “shoes” and step onto holy ground.

    Excerpt
    Moses removed his shoes; I can remove my impurities. How I’m preparing my heart to meet God—at the temple and at home.

    Intro
    “Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5).
    Elder Ulisses Soares: “Taking off our worldly shoes is the beginning of stepping onto holy ground and being transformed in higher and holier ways.” — “Reverence for Sacred Things,” Apr 2025

    Straight line (what he’s saying)
    • Holy spaces (temples, homes, dedicated places) call for removing impurity before we approach.
    • The Lord’s pattern repeats: printing office “holy, undefiled”; temple “mine holy house”; Missouri temple where the pure in heart shall see God—holiness is both place and people.
    • Small, intentional acts (like forgiving in the parking lot) are today’s “shoe removal.”
    • We don’t make ourselves holy; we offer our will. Christ’s Atonement does the sanctifying.
    • Holiness is practical: reverence, clean hands/heart, focus, and meekness that lets the Spirit teach.

    Final reflection
    I arrive at holy ground with dust on my soul—hurry, annoyance, stray pride. God isn’t asking for theatrics; He’s asking for shoes—the little impurities I can actually take off.

    Pocket I’m keeping
    • Pause before entry (temple or prayer): breathe, confess, forgive, then go in.
    • Language fast: no sarcasm or sharp words on holy days.
    • Clean gatekeeping: music, media, and thoughts that fit the space I’m entering.
    • Offer the will: “Lord, here are my shoes today—take hurry, take resentment.”
    • Home altar: make my living room reverent before I ask for revelation.

    What I hear now
    Saratoga Springs Temple at sunset, the waxing gibbous rising—before the doors or the camera, I’ll take off the day’s dust. Then let Him make the moment holy.

    Link to the talk
    Exodus 3:5 • Elder Ulisses Soares, “Reverence for Sacred Things” (Apr 2025) • Doctrine and Covenants 94:12; 95:16; 96:2; 97:15–16 • Moroni 10:32–33 (“Yea, come unto Christ… be perfected in him… sanctified in Christ… become holy, without spot.”)

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • Marked In Time: “The Tugs and Pulls of the Word” – Neal A. Maxwell

    When the sky sings, even the moon waits its turn. Saratoga Springs Temple at dusk.

    Excerpt
    Many aren’t in transgression—they’re in diversion. The world tugs; disciples choose differently. My notes and how I’ll apply them this week.

    Intro
    Elder Neal A. Maxwell warns that diversion wastes “the days of [our] probation.” God’s plan isn’t pleasure—it’s happiness. The difference is discipleship.

    Straight line (what he’s saying)
    • The lures are old; the amplification is new—tech, media, hype.
    • Diversion builds “personalized prisons”: “of whom a man is overcome…”
    • Mortal honors are transient—“they have their reward.”
    • Remedies: Holy Ghost, family, worship/prayer/scripture, wise friends, Joseph-in-Egypt reflex (flee).
    • “Far country” is measured by fidelity, not miles—return is possible; resilience is covenant DNA.
    • God prizes who we become more than rank—our real résumé is ourselves.
    • See things as they really are/will be; give glory to God.

    Final reflection
    My risk isn’t rebellion; it’s drift—scrolls, refreshes, small hungers for applause. Diversion is bondage with nicer branding.

    Pocket I’m keeping
    • Access the Spirit first (scripture, prayer, sacrament), then apps.
    • Family first—real talk over parallel scrolling.
    • Choose friends/inputs that aim at Zion.
    • Flee fast; repent resiliently.
    • Measure worth by being (meek, patient, submissive), not spotlight.

    What I hear now
    Say “stand aside” to the world. Post the image, close the tab, sit with gratitude. The moon keeps rising; I don’t need every notification to matter. Souls > stars > stats.

    Link to the talk
    “The Tugs and Pulls of the World” — Neal A. Maxwell.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • Marked in Time — “Consecrate Thy Performance” (Neal A. Maxwell)

    “Heart, soul, and mind.” When we offer all, He consecrates our performanc. Saratoga Springs Temple · waxing gibbous moon

    Excerpt
    Consecration isn’t giving things as much as yielding self. When heart, soul, and mind align with God, He consecrates our efforts for lasting good.

    Intro
    Elder Neal A. Maxwell teaches that ultimate consecration is our will swallowed up in the Father’s. Step by step, His grace is sufficient, and our performances are consecrated “for the lasting welfare of [our] souls.”

    Straight line (what he’s saying)
    • Consecration = yielding will to the Father—one stepping-stone at a time.
    • We often “keep back part” (skills, status, habits); partial surrender still diverts.
    • Worth is fixed; assignments change—He must increase, we decrease.
    • Good things can crowd out the first commandment; beware lesser gods.
    • Acknowledge His hand; avoid the “my power, my hand” trap.
    • Discipleship polishes us (rough stone rolling): contact, friction, meekness.
    • Surrendering the mind is victory; God teaches higher ways.
    • Jesus is the pattern—never lost focus; Gethsemane above all other miracles.

    Final reflection
    My hardest “part” isn’t money—it’s control. God wants a consecrated person more than a perfect portfolio. Yielded work beats impressive work.

    Pocket I’m keeping
    • Ask daily: “Lord, is it this?”—take the next small stone.
    • Worship before work; name His hand first.
    • Hold assignments lightly; hold Jesus tightly.
    • Trade applause for alignment.
    • Measure by love, patience, meekness.

    What I hear now
    I’ll hand Him today’s schedule, camera, and keyboard—and let Him aim them. Consecration is hourly trust; even detours can be consecrated.

    Link to the talk
    “Consecrate Thy Performance” — Neal A. Maxwell.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • “In Him All Things Hold Together” Elder Neal A Maxwell

    Syracuse Utah Temple at blue hour beneath a setting first-quarter moon. I lingered long; the nudge lingered longer. In Him, the night—and I—held together.

    Intro
    I lingered at the Syracuse Utah Temple until the first-quarter moon slid above the spire and the stars came on. The nudge I felt there was the longest I’ve ever carried from any temple—it stayed even while I was shooting. Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s cadence kept pacing me:

    “In Christ all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17)

    And he widened the frame of my night with this:

    “I wish to talk about your unfinished journey. It is the journey of journeys… The trek awaits—whether one is rich or poor… married or single, a prodigal or an ever faithful. Compared to this journey, all other treks are but a brief walk in a mortal park or are merely time on a telestial treadmill.” —Elder Neal A. Maxwell

    The temple path made that “journey of journeys” feel less abstract and more immediate—boots on stone, heart in hand.

    The straight line
    Perishable skills expire; portable virtues don’t. The Lord is shaping “men and women of Christ”—meek, patient, full of love (Mosiah 3:19). When life frays, covenants are the stitching; Christ is the seam that actually holds me together.

    Final Reflection (Maxwell, in his own words)

    “These attributes are eternal and portable… Being portable, to the degree developed, they will go with us through the veil of death.”
    “Since He is risen from the grave, let us not be dead as to the things of the Spirit… In him all things hold together.”

    Standing beside the flower bed and the pale stone, I felt why: if I let Him order my heart, He will also order my steps.

    Another line the night underlined
    Elder Maxwell ties the sky to our discipleship:

    “At Christmastime we celebrate a special star… placed in its precise orbit long before it shone so precisely… ‘All things must come to pass in their time’ (D&C 64:32). His overseeing precision pertains not only to astrophysical orbits but to human orbits as well… our obligation to shine as lights within our own orbits.” —Elder Neal A. Maxwell (see Philippians 2:15)

    Insight: The moon over Syracuse wasn’t an accident; neither is where God has set me. If I stay in my covenant orbit—quiet, steady, on time—He’ll handle the timing and the alignment.

    What I hear now

    • Let Christ carry what’s flying apart. Pray first: “Hold this together in Thee.”
    • Choose portable over perishable. Practice a trait before a technique.
    • Shine in your current orbit. Steward the people and places already set around you; heaven runs on precision and timing.
    • Serve quietly. Authority of example > argument.
    • Take the yoke & learn (Matt. 11:29). Small obediences teach His large qualities.
    • Return, then refine. Revisit the same place (and person) until the light matches the message—the nudge at Syracuse taught me that.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • “I Love To See The Temple”

    Jordan River Utah Temple — filmed today around 3:15 pm on the way home from work. Summer birds, soft wind, and a steady spire through the trees… “a place of love and beauty.”

    Intro
    On the way home I pulled over where the Jordan River Temple rises above the trees and filmed a slow, quiet pass. The line kept looping: “a place of love and beauty.” With the temple in view, “I’ll prepare myself…” didn’t sound like childhood someday—it sounded like a choice for today.

    Song
    I Love to See the Temple — Janice Kapp Perry

    I love to see the temple;
    I’m going there someday
    to feel the Holy Spirit,
    to listen and to pray.
    For the temple is a house of God—
    a place of love and beauty.
    I’ll prepare myself while I am young;
    this is my sacred duty.

    I love to see the temple;
    I’ll go inside someday.
    I’ll covenant with my Father;
    I’ll promise to obey.
    For the temple is a holy place
    where we are sealed together.
    As a child of God, I’ve learned this truth:
    a family is forever.

    Final Reflection
    This children’s hymn grows up with us. “I’ll go inside someday. I’ll cov’nant with my Father; I’ll promise to obey.” The melody is simple; the promises are not. Preparation is worship. Obedience is love in motion. And “As a child of God, I’ve learned this truth: A fam’ly is forever” is more than a lyric—it’s a covenant Christ makes possible in His house.

    What I hear now

    • Prepare beats postpone. If it’s “my sacred duty,” act today.
    • Covenants quietly reorder life. “I’ll promise to obey” changes calendars and priorities.
    • Keep the temple in frame. Let “a place of love and beauty” shape how I speak, serve, and schedule.
    • Family is the point. Live so “a fam’ly is forever” feels true at home, not just in song.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • “A Wonderful Flood of Light” (Elder Neal A. Maxwell)

    Draper Utah Temple, late-morning sunbeams after summer clouds—color in the garden, light on the steeple. A small, literal “flood of light.” 🌤️✨🌸

    Intro
    Some days we feel a homesick tug for “another place”—only a mist of memory, but real enough to re-center us. President Joseph F. Smith taught that through obedience we sometimes catch a spark from awakened memories of the immortal soul that lights our whole being. Elder Maxwell adds that most of us arrive in mortality as buds of possibility, meant to open under covenant light—not merely to admire truth, but to apply it.

    Final Reflection
    Think of yourself not only as you are, but as you can become. Our premortal traits still whisper here; environment matters, but eternal identity matters more. Light from the Restoration isn’t for display—it is for development: meekness, patience, mercy. Knowledge informs; obedience transforms. Keep placing today’s light on today’s altar until those buds of possibility unfold.

    What I hear now

    • Receive impressions before the morning mists burn off.
    • Lead with identity; let environment follow.
    • Nurture buds with small, exact obedience.
    • Move truth from admired → applied—light becoming life.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • 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?”

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • Day of Delight

    Scaffolds outside, strength within—light and gladness in the heart. Updates: base isolation for earthquakes; expanded capacity (new instruction rooms, more sealing rooms); two baptistries in the annex; endowment now in single-room film presentations in multiple languages.

    Intro
    I’ve been thinking about how a day can change the temperature of a soul. “There’s a day when I cast off the world… and find myself in prayer.” That line isn’t about running from life—it’s about choosing a place where God can reach me. Another line says, “a day to rediscover the vision, clear and bright.” Rediscover is the key word. The light was there all along; the day simply gives me permission to see it again. After weeks of early prayers and late-night temple time, this song feels less like nostalgia and more like instruction: set the day apart, and the day will set you apart.

    Day of Delight (full lyrics, 1979 Gates of Zion Seminary Album)

    There’s a certain kind of happiness,
    a certain kind of glow,
    a special warm sensation—
    I love to feel it flow.

    I love the sweet reminder
    of other things to do,
    the hopes and dreams inside myself—
    I know they can come true.

    There’s a day when I cast off the world,
    untouched by problems there;
    a day when I can grow and learn
    and find myself in prayer;

    a day to rediscover
    the vision, clear and bright;
    a day of light and gladness—
    a day of my delight.

    Who knows what treasures—
    Was for me the freedom,
    and the peace, new reaches,
    fresh and unexplored—
    Lord, where faith and love,

    far beyond the ordinary,
    past the ways of man;
    the beauty of this day was set
    before the world began.

    There’s a day when I cast off
    the world, untouched by problems there;
    a day when I can grow and learn
    and find myself in prayer;
    a day to rediscover the vision,
    clear and bright—
    a day of light and gladness,
    a day of my delight.

    Final Reflection
    Why would a Seminary writer in 1979 pen “Day of Delight”? My sense: to teach that holiness isn’t grim—it’s glad. Youth didn’t need a heavier rulebook; they needed language for joy. The song reframes a set-apart day as fuel, not escape: “I love the sweet reminder of other things to do… I know they can come true.” That’s a hidden gem—the holy day doesn’t pause your life; it powers it. Another is, “the beauty of this day was set before the world began,” quietly tying delight to covenant memory: this rhythm was written into us long before our calendars.

    What I hear now
    • Delight is chosen. The day doesn’t chase me; I step into it.
    • Prayer is discovery, not performance. I “find myself in prayer.”
    • Joy precedes action. Warmth first, then the “other things to do.”
    • Covenant memory steadies the week. If it was set “before the world began,” I can trust it to reset me now.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • The Echoes of Eternity

    Where heaven kissed the earth at sunrise, the echoes of eternity began

    Photographed at the Laie Hawaii Temple
    By Jet Mariano

    The Echoes of Eternity

    Sometimes I wonder, when we walk in light,
    Did we once stroll through stars before the night?
    Before this life, beyond the skies above,
    Were we already bound by truth and love?

    Each sacred step feels strangely known—
    As if I’ve never truly walked alone.
    Though time may veil what souls recall,
    There’s something here that echoes all.

    Not dreams that fade or worldly mirth,
    But love that whispers of eternal worth.
    A promise felt with every gentle sign—
    That someday, always, you’ll be mine.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

error: Content is protected !!