Jet Mariano

Tag: Think Celestial

  • President Russell M. Nelson (1924–2025) — A Tribute | Marked In Time

    One of yesterday’s frames at Deseret Peak. Thank you, President Nelson, for teaching me where peace lives—inside the temple, inside covenants.

    Excerpt

    Nearly eight years he pointed us to Christ, the temple, and higher thinking. I saw one change up close: the move from LDS.org to ChurchofJesusChrist.org—sacred identity, careful work, and no lost mail.

    Intro

    Last night I felt both loss and gratitude. President Nelson’s invitations—think celestial, be a peacemaker, focus on the temple—have become a rhythm for me. One moment from his ministry is personal: I was on the support email engineering team during the transition from LDS.org to ChurchofJesusChrist.org and the updated Church symbol. Behind the scenes, we prayed, planned, and tested so identity would be clear and messages wouldn’t drop. MX, routing rules, list servers, SPF, DKIM, and countless aliases—all touched, all safeguarded so the Lord’s work could keep moving without a missed heartbeat.

    Notes from President Nelson

    • Correct the name of the Church and center everything on Jesus Christ.
    • Focus on the temple; go more often; live inside your covenants.
    • Home centered, Church supported worship; two hour Sunday schedule.
    • From home teaching to ministering—people over checklists.
    • Accelerate temple building; take covenants to more of God’s children.
    • Keep the Restoration moving; methods can adjust while doctrine remains.
    • Peacemakers needed; lift our gaze—think celestial.

    Witness — two moments that shaped him

    • 1976 flight: in a small prop plane, an engine “burst open and caught on fire,” the aircraft dropped in a spiral, the flames went out, and they landed safely.
    • 2009 Mozambique: armed robbers put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger—“the gun did not fire”—and he and Sister Wendy felt the Lord’s peace and protection.

    Foundation parallel — Salt Lake Temple and spiritual earthquakes

    President Nelson used the renovation of the Salt Lake Temple’s foundation as a living parable. Engineers are reinforcing stone to withstand earthquakes and time; likewise, we take “extraordinary measures” to strengthen our personal spiritual foundations so we can stand steady when life shakes.

    “Whenever any kind of upheaval occurs in your life, the safest place to be spiritually is living inside your temple covenants.”
    A simple promise, and it matches my experience: when I live inside covenants, spiritual earthquakes don’t topple me—they tutor me.

    Perspective — direct quotes

    “I promise that increased time in the temple will bless your life in ways nothing else can.”
    “Whenever any kind of upheaval occurs in your life, the safest place to be spiritually is living inside your temple covenants.”

    Practice — today, not someday

    • Temple rhythm: two visits a week when possible, with time to linger in the Celestial Room.
    • Ministering: one person to love and lift this week—quietly.
    • Peacemaking: choose the soft answer once a day.
    • Think celestial: make one decision with eternity in mind.

    Final Reflection

    Deseret Peak yesterday surprised me—the far drive, the light under the arch, and a whisper I needed. Layton’s pools, Syracuse’s grasses, Taylorsville’s familiar glow, Saratoga Springs where I first learned to notice the nudge—each room speaks differently, yet the message is the same: build on Christ. President Nelson’s legacy feels very close to the ground for me—temples and small daily choices that shape a life. Foundations strengthened. Identity clarified. The work moves forward.

    Pocket I’m Keeping

    Safest place spiritually—inside my temple covenants.

    What I Hear Now — direct quotes

    Focus on the temple.
    Think celestial.

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

  • Marked in Time — “Think Celestial!” (President Russell M. Nelson)

    Super Blood Moon over the Los Angeles California Temple — not visible in America last night, so I pulled this in-camera Nikon double exposure from my archives (Oct 2014). Thinking celestial means taking the long view: steps, stars, and a witness in the heavens.

    Excerpt
    President Nelson invites us to “think celestial”—to take the long, eternal view where today’s choices shape forever.

    Intro
    President Russell M. Nelson taught that God’s plan is “fabulous,” that our choices matter eternally, and that the Savior’s Atonement makes that plan possible. His invitation: adopt the practice of “thinking celestial.”

    Straight line (what he’s saying)
    • “The baseless notion that we should ‘eat, drink, and be merry …’ is one of the most absurd lies in the universe.”
    • “I invite you to adopt the practice of ‘thinking celestial’! … ‘to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.’”
    • “Mortality is a master class” in choosing what matters most. “Your choices today will determine … where you will live throughout all eternity, the kind of body … [and] those with whom you will live forever.”
    • “Only men and women who are sealed … in the temple, and who keep their covenants, will be together throughout the eternities.”
    • If we choose telestial laws now, we choose a telestial glory then.
    • “How and where and with whom do you want to live forever? You get to choose.”
    • “Take the long view—an eternal view. Put Jesus Christ first … your eternal life is dependent upon your faith in Him and in His Atonement.”
    • “When you are confronted with a dilemma, think celestial! … When the pressures of life crowd in upon you, think celestial!”

    Final reflection
    Thinking celestial reframes today: my calendar becomes covenant practice, my setbacks become schooling, and my worship becomes preparation for where—and with whom—I want to live forever.

    Pocket I’m keeping
    • Begin with the end in mind (celestial family).
    • Choose temple time and covenant keeping first.
    • Guard agency—avoid anything that becomes a “god.”
    • Pray beyond a shopping list; seek revelation.
    • Take the long view when hurt, hurried, or tempted.

    What I hear now
    Tonight I’m posting an archival blood-moon shot and taking the eternal view. The moon changes phase; covenants point to permanence. Think celestial.

    Link to the talk
    “Think Celestial!” — President Russell M. Nelson.

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

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