Planet Willowrise

One of the prophets that Nephi and Lehi were aware of was Jeremiah. Lehi mentioned him later when he said, “they have rejected the prophets, and Jeremiah have they cast into prison.” (1 Nephi 7:14) Clearly things were getting pretty serious in Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 26:12-20
12 ¶ Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard.
13 Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.
14 As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you.
15 But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the Lord hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.
16 ¶ Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.
17 Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying,
18 Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.
19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the Lord, and besought the Lord, and the Lord repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls.
20 And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the Lord, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath-jearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah:

2 Kings 24:17-20
17 ¶ And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
18 Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
19 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
20 For through the anger of the Lord it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

That makes me wonder just a bit about who the other prophets in Jerusalem were. We have a record of some of them in the Bible, and in the Bible dictionary there’s a nice little chronology that can help us see which known prophets were around at that time. And while we’re in the Bible Dictionary, let’s compile a sample bio of each:

Possible Contemporaries of Lehi:

Jeremiah (approx. 626-586 BC)
Born of a priestly family in Anathoth, and prophesied from the 13th year of Josiah till after the downfall of Jerusalem, a period of over 40 years, 626-586 B.C. After Josiah’s death he tried to stem, almost alone, the tide of idolatry and immorality, of self-deception founded on superficial reforms (Jer. 3: 4-5; Jer. 7: 8-10), and of fanatical confidence in the Lord’s protection, in which all classes were carried away. He had to face continuous opposition and insult from the priests (Jer. 20: 2), the mob (Jer. 26: 8-9), his townsmen at Anathoth (Jer. 11: 19), the frivolous and cruel (Jer. 22: 13; Jer. 36: 23; Jer. 26: 20), the king (Jer. 36: 19), and the army (Jer. 38: 4). After the fall of Jerusalem the Jews who escaped into Egypt took Jeremiah with them as a kind of fetish (Jer. 43: 6), and at last, according to tradition, stoned him to death.

Habakkuk (approx. 598-605 BC)
A prophet of Judah. The date at which he prophesied is uncertain – possibly in the reign of Josiah or of Jehoiakim (c. 600 B.C.). Nothing beyond this is known about him. In ch. 1 the prophet complains that his outcries against wrong-doing in Judah remain unheard by God; but he is assured that punishment by the Chaldeans is close at hand. This raises the problem as to why the pure and holy God should use for the working out of his purposes such a sinful nation. Ch. 2 supplies a solution to the problem: the Chaldeans themselves will come under judgment (cf. Morm. 4: 5). Ch. 3 contains a lyrical poem, describing the coming of Jehovah to judge and to deliver his people.

Daniel (approx. 606 BC)
The second son of David, by Abigail the Carmelitess (1 Chr. 3: 1); also called Chileab (2 Sam. 3: 3).
The hero of the book of Daniel. Nothing is known of his parentage, though he appears to have been of royal descent (Dan. 1: 3); he was taken captive to Babylon and received the name of Belteshazzar (Dan. 1: 6-7). Along with three others he refused the “king’s meat” from fear of defilement (Dan. 1: 8-16). He then won the favor of Nebuchadnezzar and Darius by his power of interpreting dreams (chs. 2, 4); and the handwriting on the wall (ch. 5). In consequence of a plot on the part of his enemies he was thrown into a den of lions (ch. 6), but his life was preserved. There are references to him in Ezek. 14: 14, 20; Ezek. 28: 3; Heb. 11: 33. Interesting points of resemblance may be noticed between the history of Daniel and that of Joseph.

Ezekial (approx. 593-598 BC)
A priest of the family of Zadok, and one of the captives carried away by Nebuchadnezzar along with Jehoiachin. He settled at Tel Abib on the Chebar, and prophesied during a period of 22 years, 592-570 B.C. The book of Ezekiel has three main divisions:
1:  1 – 24, prophecies of judgment against Jerusalem and the nation;
2:  25 – 39, prophecies of restoration;
3: 40 – 48, visions of the reconstruction of the temple and its worship. Chs. 1 – 39 are similar in manner and contents to other prophetic writings; chs. 40 – 48 are unique in prophecy.
Among the notable teachings of Ezekiel are chs. 3 and 18, which show the significance of a prophet’s warning and the individual responsibility of every person for the consequences of his own behavior; ch. 37, which depicts the valley of dry bones, each bone coming together, bone to his bone, in the resurrection, the restoration of Israel, and the uniting of the stick (record) or Ephraim with the stick of Judah; and chs. 47 – 48, the description of the latter-day temple in Jerusalem, the river running from the temple into the Dead Sea to heal it, and the building of a city “foursquare.” Ezekiel was a man of many visions and spoke much about the future restoration of Israel and the glory of the millennial reign of the Lord. The authenticity of his writings are specifically confirmed by latter-day revelation, as in D&C 29: 21.

Obadiah (approx. 586-612 BC)
The steward of Ahab who protected the prophets of God from Jezebel (1 Kgs. 18).
A prophet who foretold the doom of Edom. Nothing is known of his personal history. The prophecy was spoken directly after some capture of Jerusalem (possibly by the Philistines and Arabians during the reign of Jehoram, 848-844 B.C., or more probably by the Chaldeans, 586 B.C.) during which the Edomites had displayed hostility to Judah. (See Edom.) Obadiah foretells their punishment. For the fulfillment of his prophecy see 2 Kgs. 14: 7; 2 Chr. 25: 11-12. One of the better known passages of Obadiah is Obad. 1: 21, speaking of “saviours . . . on mount Zion,” which refers to the doctrine of salvation for the dead.

Nahum  (approx. 642-612 BC)
The prophet; native of Elkosh in Galilee. He prophesied against Nineveh: ch. 1, the manifestation of the avenging God, executing judgment on the oppressors of his people; ch. 2, a picture of the city’s fall; ch. 3, the city denounced as a harlot and enchantress. The prophecy has great literary beauty and much patriotic feeling. Nahum makes no allusion to the sin of his own people. The prophecy was probably written between the fall of Nineveh, 606 B.C., and that of No Amon (Nahum 3: or Thebes, in Upper Egypt, taken by Assurbanipal about 660 B.C. The occasion of the prophecy may have been some recent aggression of Assyria, or more probably some powerful coalition against Nineveh either that before which it actually fell, or an earlier one that prompted the prophet to express his certainty of the city’s doom (Nahum 2: 1; Nahum 3: 12).
Luke 3: 25.

©2010 maria. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us
Tags: fantasy, new art, original artwork, painting of wolves, painting of wolves with fiery red background, red and yellow, red painting, Ria, swirls, wolves hunting, wolves running

This is something we could all benefit from:

A couple nights ago, Jenni was showing me a blog that’s kept by a mother who had a very recent miscarriage. Reading a little of that made me think a little about our own situation. We’ve never had a miscarriage. We’ve never lost a child. We’ve never had any close calls in that regard, and we’ve never had any major health issues with our kids. It’s a little odd, really.

We’re so blessed, and I’m so grateful for what the Lord has done for us, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. But it does feel a little hollow to read others experiences, or hear them talk about their own losses – and sometimes they are serious, serious losses. How do we comfort someone who can’t have children? How can we offer real understanding to someone who lost a close family member, or has a never-ending flow of surgeries and medical bills?

And what do they think of us? Are they offended if we try to offer assistance? Are they subconsciously bitter for not having what we have been so bounteously blessed with?
I suppose a few might be, but I doubt most of them are so offended. But it does leave me thinking. I have never been one to say, “Seeing their circumstances makes me count my blessings for not being in that situation.” Something has always bothered me about that, and until recently, I haven’t been able to put my finger on what exactly it is.

I was listening to an interview with a guy named Nick Vujicic, who was born without arms or legs. Talk about a challenge! He says that sometimes people come up to him after a speech (he’s a motivational speaker), and say things like, “After seeing what you are going through, I’ll NEVER complain again.” That bothers him a little. Of course they’ll complain again. They will suffer in other ways. He says, “There is no hope in comparing suffering, but there is hope in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

He’s right. I can’t pretend to understand the difficulty that a parent goes through who loses a child, or of someone who gets a divorce, or someone who suffers from depression, because I’ve never experienced any of those things. I can’t even say that I’ve had my own suffering that measures up to what they’re going through, because whether that’s true or not is totally irrelevant. Jesus Christ DOES know. Jesus Christ knows how to comfort them – and me. He is the source of all hope. Though I may not have the answers to give, or the true empathy they need, I know who does, and whatever I can do to help them recognize His role in their lives, will do more than anything else I can do.

Helping people come to Christ does more to help those who are suffering than even removing from their lives the cause of suffering. Does that make sense? Let me say that again, because I think it’s the key to the whole matter: if I can do something to help you turn to the Lord, it will do more for you than if I can remove the cause of your suffering.

And if you are one of those people who have so deeply suffered, then you are doubly equipped to help those around you. You can help with the suffering AND help them turn to the Savior.

If you are experiencing more than you can handle, whatever it is, the Lord is ready and willing to help. Start by just asking God for His help. Humbly go to Him and tell Him everything you are feeling. And then listen. He’s real, and He will answer you. I promise you, PROMISE you, He’s real. God lives, and wants to hear from you. He wants to help you. He wants to Heal you.

This is our sweet little Fred kitty. She has such a fun personality. She loves to run(that’s her favorite thing to do!), she likes to pounce grasshoppers and birds. She also loves to climb up the window screen and catch flies. And then when she’s sleepy she likes to curl up on one of our laps and purr herself to sleep while we pet her. She’s such a love. This painting is about 22″x29″. Mark just made a beautiful frame for it that has kitty paw prints wandering all over it. It’s wonderful! I’m going to enter this one into the Utah State Fair.

©2010 maria. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us
Tags: art, artwork by Ria, brilliant colored pencil drawing, cat painting, colored pencil, drawing fur, fair entries, Fred, kitten, kitty, original painting, painting of a cat, Ria, Utah State Fair

So as I mentioned before Mark and I are training Lola, well, we’re trying to. What we’re trying to do is teach her that Mark and I are the alpha pair so she doesn’t have to act like such a spaz all the time trying to figure out how to be the alpha herself. We’re using Jan Fennell’s method. She has a book called The Dog Listener that we’re reading and trying to follow.

So one of the things you’re supposed to do is make sure the dog always sees you eat before she gets to eat. It’s supposed to be like the alpha who always eats first and then gives the subordinates what’s left. What we’ve been doing is having a couple of little minnie ritz crackers in our hands when we’re about to hand her her bowl and then we pretend to be eating some of her food, get satisfied and then give her the rest. So this morning I did that. I didn’t realize however that the neighbor lady was standing about 15 feet away watching me. Oh my goodness. Now the neighbors think I eat dog food. Oh yeah, I rock.

©2010 maria. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us
Tags: alpha, alpha pair, difficult, dog training, embarrassing moment, funny, Jan Fennell, Lola, neighbor, The Dog Listener

What exactly was Lehi doing in Jerusalem? Weren’t most of the tribes of Israel scattered by now?

Yes, most were. But not quite all. For one thing, we know that the tribe of Judah stuck around beyond New Testament times. But Lehi was a descendant of Manasseh. “And Aminadi was a descendant of Nephi, who was the son of Lehi, who came out of the land of Jerusalem, who was a descendant of Manasseh, who was the son of Joseph who was sold into Egypt by the hands of his brethren.” (Alma 10:3)

The reason I bring this up is that according to the Old Testament, the descendants of Judah and Manasseh got Jerusalem as their Israelite inheritence…

And in Jerusalem dwelt of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin, and of the children of Ephraim, and Manasseh;

1 Chronicles 9: 3

…which explains what a non-Judah descendent was doing in Jerusalem in 600 BC.

I was doing a little research yesterday about white balance in digital photography, and there are all kinds of fun things you can do with it. Then I researched more about metering, and before I knew it, I was all pumped to do more artsy photography. I’ve gotten lazy about posting photos lately, mainly because I just don’t have the time and energy to edit them. So I’ve given myself a challenge. I want to post more photos, but the rules I’ll give myself (for my sanity’s sake) will be these:

1. No post production – I love doing it, I just don’t have time. It’s got to be straight from the camera (if I make an exception on a single photo once in a GREAT while I’ll label it). Not even rotating.

2. I have to delete photos I don’t want as I go along – I tend to take a photo 10 times, so the other 9 have to go before I upload.

3. No RAWs – Doing RAWs are way fun, but by definition, they require post-production, which violates rule #1

4. I don’t HAVE to be regular about how often I post – though I’ll try to be a little more regular. Don’t expect me to continue – I reserve the right to stop any time for no reason at all. Not that you care, but writing it frees me to not feel guilty if it’s been awhile.

5. If I’m shooting for posting, I have to post what I shoot (unless there’s a reason it wouldn’t be a good idea – such as privacy or safety – you’ll notice I never mention my kids real names), no picking through. It has to be deleted or posted.

These rules only applies to artsy photography intended for posting, not day to day family events, etc, though I’m sure there’ll be a few of those, too.

Anyway…

I’ve started walking to and from work (short distance, but very pleasant walk) just to get a little exercise, so a lot of my photos will be from that.

Okay, so I’m a little bit of a blog geek (it’s not like it’s obvious from my crazy theme), but I thought it would be fun to make RSS feeds for the different categories on my blog. All the “experts” say that it’s best to keep your blog to one subject or style. Yeah, right, like I could ever narrow my blog to one category… this is me we’re talking about – the guy who has a new favorite hobby every week. Anyway, so if you like just the family stuff, or just the music stuff, or just the funny stuff, or whatever, click on the appropriate RSS button and subscribe to that category.

Plus, that way if you’re as blogeeky as I am, you can split my blog up into your reader category folders. I use Google reader, and I’m subscribed to so many blogs that I’ve got them all categorized – LDS, Family, Funny, History, Science, Music, etc. If you do something similar, you can subscribe to my RSS feeds separately, and put them in the appropriate folders. I do use other categories, but I think all the entries fit in at least one of these major categories.

Enjoy!

Family

Funny

Music

Popcorn and Podcasting

Religious

Writing

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I think one of the greatest ways to promote creativity is to have limitations that seem to hamper the progress you are able to make. Think about it. If material is lacking, you learn to be creative with what you’ve got. If money is an issue, you get creative with the money and resources you already have. If you don’t have much space, you either turn a bedroom into a studio or find a way to do your work outdoors, where the atmosphere is better anyway. Limitations and roadblocks promote greater creativity.

If you think your limitation is hampering your creativity, maybe you just need to think more creatively about your creativity.

It rarely does any good to put off an aspiration until you have the money or means to do something about it. Whatever it is that you want to do, start doing it, with whatever time, money, and resources you DO have.

For example, let’s say you want to take up sculpture, but have no clay, and no money. That is an issue – but not enough of an issue to justify waiting until you have money or clay before moving forward. Start with home-made playdough. Does that sound too cheap?

Have you ever heard of Don Marco? He’s a crayola crayon artist, and he’s AMAZING. It’s not the fact that he uses crayons for art that’s amazing – your kids do that, (though yes, they are amazing in their own way, but you know what I mean). It’s the fact that he makes incredible art with crayons.

Use what you have to do what you want to do. Then when the resources are available, you can move up – and still have a unique portfolio.

What if time is your limitation? Become a five strokes a day artist, or perhaps “The Five Minute Painting” artist, or whatever. You don’t have to base your career on your limitation, but turn your limitation into an asset by trying something creative with your creativity.

Creativity is spawned where limitations prevail.

I’ve been publishing CD’s for a mere two years, and though it would be awesome and ideal to record with a real piano in a real studio, that’s never been an option to me, because it’s so dang expensive. But instead of complaining or waiting until I had the funds, I recorded with a program that allows me to fix minor mistakes that would be untouchable in a studio recording. That made my first CD better than it would have been if I’d had a studio to record in. Limitations aren’t roadblocks, limitations promote synergy.

If something goes wrong and you suddenly find yourself lacking what you once had, turn your disability into a superpower. Only you can figure out how to do it. That’s the beauty of creativity.

Progress never comes from maintaining the status quo, but from running into problems and coming up with solutions that were better than the status quo.

Mark and I have decided that in order for Lola (and us) to really be happy and at peace with the world she’s going to have to be trained. The other thing we realize is that we have absolutely no money at all. This means Mark and I have to do the training. We got started today. It was actually quite fun. We started by taking her for a walk. We had our pockets full of treats and every time we’d call her and she’d come we’d give her a treat. She did really well! Once she figured out that she’d get a treat if she came, she came almost every time. The only time she had difficulty was when we were passing by a yard with 2 dogs, 2 kids on bicycles and some adults standing around talking. A truck was driving by at the same moment and she just got over stimulated and started chasing dogs and kids all over the place. She did come after a few calls though and that NEVER happens so it was good!

The thing we’ve decided is that the only kind of training we’re going to be able to do is positive reinforcement training. I just can’t bring my self to discipline her for bad behavior. The only discipline we’ll give her is to ignore bad behavior. I can do that. We reward good behavior and ignore bad behavior. We’ve bought a couple of books and I’m really excited about this. I’m going to do 2 15 minute training sessions a day at least and her regular 4 mile run. We want to get to the point where she can be a regular family dog, mingling with the cats and ferrets. No killing of small animals, no breaking front doors, no stealing our food or art projects….etc. I’m excited about this!

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I read an article recently about how men (not mankind so as to include women, but men) love war. They love the thrill of pitting their manliness against each other, just to see who’s the toughest. Each wants a turn to prove that in a real life and death situation, he would pull out on top… or at least alive.

My first thought was that the whole idea was bologna. I’ve never been a guy who likes the much physical “pitting.” Take wrestling, for example; who wants to wrap their arms around a greasy sweaty guy in spandex – I mean really?! I’d rather pin a bald goat. And as for the grunting manliness of the all American football game? Let’s throw a ball at someone and then pile as many people as we can on top of them – while wearing a helmet, shoulder pads… and yes, spandex. And this is a national pastime?

So when it comes to the real deal, with guns, utility belts, and assault weapons, I’m not big on the idea. (At least they wear real pants, but still…).

I realize that part of my issue may have something to do with the fact that I’ve always been something of a wimp. I was the fastest runner in my class – the only thing in grade-school that earned me bragging rights, but only a useful skill when faced with school bullies. I outran the best of them.

But today I realized that there might still be a hint of that manly bloodthirst in me when I was suddenly faced with an obstacle of nature that was bent on my misery. And not only one such creature, but many, which came at me in random intervals throughout the day.

When they come, I go on a sort of rampage, a complete man vs. beast episode.

And what is the object of my man-fury? That freak of nature; that billion-eyed, filth-seeking, speed-demon, parasitic creature, the housefly. I can be sitting in compete comfort at my work desk, listening to soft music, and calmly pressing on with the task at hand, but when I hear that little drone behind my head, I grab the swatter and become Chuck Norris meets the Hulk. All my man-rampage instincts fly into hyperdrive and I become an instrument of terror – well… to the fly, anyway.

My first approach is stealth, sneaking up with my weapon drawn for the ambush. When that fails, I go for strategy, switching off all the lights in the room and opening the door of the well-lit bathroom. When my little friend finds his way in, I slam the door and go into Jackie Chan mode, crashing and banging around until one of us dies. Gratefully, so far it’s always been the fly.

Okay, so I’m no Old-Spice guy. But when it comes to buzzers, I get my fair share of blood, sweat, and guts. Ah! Just saw another one… Mwa, ha, haaaaa!!!!

These new paintings I’ve finished are about stories. Each one has it’s own story. I have ideas in my mind of what the stories are but the viewer is free and welcome to come up with stories of his/her own for each of these. I’ll post each one and kind of tell you about what I was thinking.

This one is called Transitory Beauty. It’s not realism at all because I just wanted to portray an idea. I wanted to do a painting about change and how beautiful change can be. Sometimes we get a little scared of change I think but I’ve noticed that every time life changes there’s a new kind of beauty to be discovered. Summer turns to Autumn, flowers die and leaves fall but before we have time to mourn the loss of these beauties our eyes are dazzled by crimsons, oranges, and yellows that take our breath away.

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Harrah!!! I’ve finally got the piano solo arrangement of We’ll Bring the World His Truth available for sheet music purchase. I had to get permissions from Janice Kapp Perry, so it took a little longer than usual. But now it’s here! To see the real store, go to chashathaway.com, but to save you a step, I’ve pasted all the links so you can buy it right from this page if you want:

Purchase Sheet music for $3.95

Download Sample Page

It takes a lot of confidence to say, “I know I’m right.” In fact, I’d have to say it takes more than confidence – it takes spiritual conviction. Even the accomplished scientist won’t say, “I know this theory is true.” So what is it that gives Nephi the right to say that he knows the things he’s writing is true? Some would call this blind, naïve, or delusional. But that’s assuming that Nephi is wrong. But he’s not wrong, and he knows it.

1 Nephi 11:16-17

And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God?

And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.

2 Nephi 4:35

Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.

2 Nephi 25:7

But behold, I proceed with mine own prophecy, according to my plainness; in the which I know that no man can err; nevertheless, in the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pass.

8 Wherefore, they are of worth unto the children of men, and he that supposeth that they are not, unto them will I speak particularly, and confine the words unto mine own people; for I know that they shall be of great worth unto them in the last days; for in that day shall they understand them; wherefore, for their good have I written them.

2 Nephi 31:1

And now I, Nephi, make an end of my prophesying unto you, my beloved brethren. And I cannot write but a few things, which I know must surely come to pass; neither can I write but a few of the words of my brother Jacob.

1 Nephi 3:7

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

So anyway, there’s a few of the things Nephi knows. So I guess the next question is, how does he know? Well, since Nephi’s the one we’re talking about let’s see if Nephi can answer that for us:

1 Nephi 10:19

For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.

2 Nephi 32:4-5, 8

Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark.

For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.

And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.

It kind of sounds like he’s saying, if you don’t know, I’m not going to tell you. But he doesn’t stop there. He says that you need to seek the answer from God. If you don’t know the gospel is true, or you don’t know what to do to get real solid answers to your prayers, ask God, and seek an answer. Truly seek. Beg for it. Listen for it. Humble yourself to receive whatever answer he gives you. God really does want you to know, but He’s not going to force it on you. You have to ask. You have to seek it. Really seek it.

1:2 “the language of the Egyptians”

I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians.

That sounds to me like Lehi wrote in Hebrew style, but in the Egyptian language – well, some kind of Egyptian language. Obviously Lehi would be fluent in Hebrew, but why would he speak or at least know how to write in Egyptian?

“We don’t know what Lehi’s occupation was, but since he was conversant in the Egyptian language and he seemed some-what familiar with the ways of the desert, it is logical to assume that he had some occupation or some previous experiences that utilized both skills.”

H. Donl Peterson, “Father Lehi,” in First Nephi, The Doctrinal Foundation, ed. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1988), 55–66.

Okay, so I guess Lehi probably did work that was facilitated by a knowledge of the Egyptian language. I looked up in some commentaries to see what Judah’s relationship to Egypt was like at the time, and here’s what I found. I would summarize, but it would take me more words to say what they did:

1Nephi 1:1–3 . The Book of Mormon Language

In Mormon 9:32–33 , Moroni indicates that the plates were written in reformed Egyptian that had been altered by the Nephites according to their manner of speech. Some scholars believe that reformed Egyptian was a type of shorthand. Moroni explains that if the plates had been larger they would have been written in Hebrew, and then the record would have been without imperfections (see v.33 ). This suggests that reformed Egyptian must not have been as precise and accurate as Hebrew, and it must have required less space to write reformed Egyptian than to write Hebrew. Knowing this gives us a greater appreciation of how efficient the reformed Egyptian language must have been.

The Hebrew language is very compact when compared to English and many other western languages. A typical English sentence of fifteen words will often translate into seven to ten Hebrew words. We have no indication of the size of the characters Mormon and Moroni used, but if they rejected Hebrew because the plates were not “sufficiently large” ( v.33 ), then reformed Egyptian must have been a language remarkable for its ability to convey a lot of information with few words.

Book of Mormon Student Manual Chapter 2 – 1 Nephi 1 – 5

The language seems to have had some changes over the course of the thousand years that the Book of Mormon covers. The native Nephite language was Hebrew, which was also altered over time by the Nephites. The Book of Mormon was written in reformed Egyptian because the Hebrew characters are too large. See verse 33.

Also, See footnotes to the Title page for possible reasons for the record to be engraved on gold (rather than some other substance), though it is not certain whether the plates were made of gold, or just a gold-colored metal. Here are the verses mentioned in the last quote:

Mormon 9:32-34

32 And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech.

33 And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record.

34 But the Lord knoweth the things which we have written, and also that none other people knoweth our language; and because that none other people knoweth our language, therefore he hath prepared means for the interpretation thereof.

Don’t ask me why this is so interesting, but I think it is. Not only did they write in an obscure language, but they wrote in a language that no one understands by now. Wouldn’t that be cool to write in a language NO ONE can read without God’s help?

Maybe I’ll start keeping my journal in a language no one can read…

Wait, with my handwriting I guess it kind of already is.

Just kidding. I went digital a few years ago and I’ll never go back! But I could print it in Wingdings.

Nah…

Come Come Ye Saints

On Wednesday, a friend called and asked if I could help her perform the hymn, Come, Come Ye Saints, at a 24th of July celebration (which is basically Utah’s birthday, for the benefit of all you out-of-staters), so I threw together an arrangement, and we performed it on Thursday. It went awesome! She has a great voice, and the performance went well. So on Friday I located a piano and touched up the arrangement to make it a piano solo. So here’s the tune! You’ll notice that I recorded it on a real piano. I’m curious what people think about the sound. I’m not sure I like it better than my GarageBand piano that I usually use, but I’d love to get your input. Obviously I need to work on the best placing for the microphone, but how does this sound compare with the GarageBand piano I use on all my other pieces? Also, let me know if you’d be interested in buying the sheet music for this piece if I made it.

The Treefairy

When the sun has set in the assure sky

and the birds have ceased their song,

When the owl and bat rise in the night

when the white moths dance in throng

Wings that flutter in hummingbird down

hair the color of prairie fire flowers

eyes as keen as the white wolf’s moan

the tree fairy guards her bowers

Mischief plays in her unrefined heart

the games that laugh in her mind

a spell to be cast a soul to be caught

will you be the next one entwined?

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Tags: fairy, fairy painting, fairy poetry, fantasy art, fantasy painting of a fairy, fantasy poem, fantasy poetry, fantasy themed poetry, poem, poem about a fairy, poem about art

I’m swamped with work.  I can’t yet talk much about the work I’ve been doing until we go public, but it’s a cool project, although its coolness may not be immediately obvious at first.

Meanwhile, I have been rather slow to answer some emails.  Here is what you need to do to get a fast email response from me: present me a viable option that allows someone other than me to do the work.  For example, if you want one of my open source projects changed, the best thing to suggest is that you will do the work and all I have to do is review a patch.  (Ideally, include the unified diff in the email so I can review instantly.)

I’ve got a new piece called, Crossover. I was going to make a more elaborate music video, but then I decided to keep it simple and see what people think.

She sits in the doorway gazing at the summer rain, seeing, hearing, smelling it for the first time. Her eyes sparkle like the falling drops of water that bounce and splash on the front porch. What are these little balls of movement? Why do they vanish instead of run away? She wants to explore, to go out there… but she’s not sure. And then the thunder! The mighty booming in the sky! Where does that terrible monstrous noise come from? She wants to go out but she’s too small, too young. Momma knows best. Momma is inside. That’s where she’ll stay, safe inside. But her eyes still sparkle like the falling drops of water.

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I haven’t posted for a little while cuz I’ve been doing a lot of camping. I love camping. It’s my favorite thing to do in the world. It has been since I was a little kid. I don’t know what it is that is so pleasing to me. I don’t think it’s any one thing. It’s gotta be the whole experience. Being out there in the mountains, outside all day and all night (sleeping under the stars is the best), listening to the wind blowing through the trees, the smell of the campfire mixed with sage and pine, the sound of the river lulling you to sleep at night, mountains towering all around you. It’s just the best. We’re going again the day after tomorrow. I can’t wait!

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Tags: a night in the mountains, being outside, campfire, camping, experiencing the mountains, going camping, I love camping, listening to the wind in trees, mountain, mountains, night, overnighter, pine, recreation, river, rivers, sage, Self Portrait, sleeping under the stars, the great outdoors, the sound of the river, trees, wind, wind blowing through trees

My first book is finally out!!! It’s taken about five years to write, revise, cleanup, format, edit, and publish, but Giraffe Tracks is available as of today! I’ll have it on its own webpage soon, but the webpage isn’t ready yet, so for now I’m linking to straight the store from my blog.

So far, it’s available in:

Softbound book

Hardbound book

PDF download

Kindle book

or you can Read a Sample

I was hoping to release the audio book at the same time as the book release, but couldn’t have it ready in time.

If there is a format that you would want to buy it in that is not listed above, let me know. I’d like people to be able to buy it in whatever format they want, even if it’s .doc, .jpg or even .mov (that would be interesting). If you’re willing to buy it in a certain format, I’ll make it in that format and sell it at the same price as any digital text format.

I’m publishing it through Willowrise Press, which is my family’s independent publishing company.

Anyway, please buy it!

Here’s the blurb from the back of the book, so you can get an idea what it’s about:

By the late 1990′s, South Africa was in the midst of heavy political and social turmoil. With the ending of Apartheid in 1994, which was a legalized system of racial segregation which heavily curtailed the rights of the black population, the country was left in a dangerously challenging situation. The white population, who had enjoyed relative wealth, government protection, and exclusive employment opportunities, were now forced to share those resources with the massive majority population of native black Africans.

Native Africans, who had been socially, economically, and physically oppressed for centuries, were now allowed to leave their reservation-like townships and come into the cities and suburbs. Having been held back for so long, black Africans continued to experience severe poverty. As new opportunities were thrown at them, poverty-driven crime rose to a frightening level, leaving sour feelings in the hearts of the country’s general population. It became a time of anger, reunion, bitter feelings, fear, and hope.

Giraffe Tracks is the true story of an LDS missionary serving in the Johannesburg, South Africa Mission only a few years after the ending of Apartheid. Using compelling stories, humor, and spiritual insight, the story demonstrates that even in a land overflowing with crime, poverty, and racial hatred, peace and joy can be found through the gospel of Jesus Christ. As the powers of evil shake the foundations of human society, the truth and light carried in the testimonies of the Lord’s missionaries can change hearts, heal minds, and turn fear and hatred into faith and love.

“therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days”

Sometimes we assume that the book of 1 Nephi is like a journal – that Nephi kept it as he went along. Maybe that’s the case for the other plates he kept, I don’t know, but with the version we have access to, Nephi wrote his record 30 years after Lehi’s family left Jerusalem, and well after the time they arrived in the Promised Land. (see 1 Nephi 19:1-5 / 2 Nephi 5:28-31)

1 Nephi 19:1-5

4 Wherefore, I, Nephi, did make a record upon the other plates, which gives an account, or which gives a greater account of the wars and contentions and destructions of my people. And this have I done, and commanded my people what they should do after I was gone; and that these plates should be handed down from one generation to another, or from one prophet to another, until further commandments of the Lord.

5 And an account of my making these plates shall be given hereafter; and then, behold, I proceed according to that which I have spoken; and this I do that the more sacred things may be kept for the knowledge of my people.

2 Nephi 5:28-31

28 *And thirty years had passed away from the time we left Jerusalem.

29 And I, Nephi, had kept the records upon my plates, which I had made, of my people thus far.

30 And it came to pass that the Lord God said unto me: Make other plates; and thou shalt engraven many things upon them which are good in my sight, for the profit of thy people.

31 Wherefore, I, Nephi, to be obedient to the commandments of the Lord, went and made these plates upon which I have engraven these things.

32 And I engraved that which is pleasing unto God. And if my people are pleased with the things of God they will be pleased with mine engravings which are upon these plates.

33 And if my people desire to know the more particular part of the history of my people they must search mine other plates.

34 And it sufficeth me to say that *forty years had passed away, and we had already had wars and contentions with our brethren.

Why does that matter, you ask? Well, I suppose it doesn’t, really. I just thought that was kind of cool.

My new favorite. Yep. Definitely. I call it Seeking the Light. It’s really about seeking wisdom, truth. Light and truth are synonymous. D&C 88

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Tags: american indian, art, Christ, Christ is the Light of the world, cliff, Doctrine and Covenants, indian art, indian woman, LDS artwork, light, Maria Hathaway Spencer, native, Native American, native american woman, new art by Maria Hathaway Spencer, original art, painting, painting with a lot of light, painting with yellow, reaching out, religion, seeking Christ, seeking light, seeking wisdom, sun, sunlight, truth, wisdom, woman facing sunlight, woman on a cliff, woman standing in the sun, woman watching the sunrise, yellow

Another dancer!! Woohoo!!!

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Tags: american indian, art, colored pencil, dance art, dancing, indian, indian art, Native American, painting of a Native American girl, painting of a woman dancing, painting of an indian, painting with purples and reds, purples and reds, red, Shawl dancer, woman dancing, woman dancing in a shawl

I’m sitting here with a kitten sleeping on my lap, 2 sleeping by my side, and 2 more playing at my feet. It’s a beautiful sunny day and birds are singing outside. I have a wonderful hoos-band who loves me as much as I love him. The world is filled with life and happiness and I’m grateful to be a part of it.

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Tags: birds, happiness, harmony, joy, kittens, peace, play, singing, sunny, sunshine

The thing that Mark and I have figured out with Lola is that she still has a puppy brain. Everything she does fits this explanation. This realization is good because when I think of her as a puppy I get a lot less frustrated with her. I can just think, “well she’s just a puppy still. She doesn’t know any better”. It really helps.

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Tags: black lab, dog, dog behavior, dogs, lab collie mix, Lola, misbehaving dog, puppy

Remember when I mentioned Literal Video Music Videos? Well, Jenni and I made one. We had such a fun time doing it. Remember the “I’m Blue, Da Ba Dee Da ba Die” song? Their music video is quite goofy, so we thought we’d make a literal video of the music video.

Enjoy!

“therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days”

Sometimes we assume that the book of 1 Nephi is like a journal – that he kept it as he went along. Maybe that’s the case for the other plates he kept, I don’t know, but with the version we have access to, Nephi wrote this record 30 years after Lehi’s family left Jerusalem, and well after the time they arrived in the Promised Land.  (see 1 Nephi 19:1-5 / 2 Nephi 5:28-31)

Why does that matter, you ask? Well, it doesn’t, really. I just thought that was kind of cool.

Then again, maybe you could draw the lesson from it that keeping a journal is not enough, we should write our life history, too.

Okay, so maybe that’s not the intent, but that’s a good lesson, too!

Mark and I decided to go camping yesterday. The plan was to leave in the morning yesterday and come home late tonight.  We’re already home and it’s not late tonight. In fact we got home by 1:00 in the afternoon.

We thought it would be cool to take Lola with us. Dogs love camping, right? Well not Lola. Everything started out okay. We chained her into the back of the truck and drove to the campsite. When we got there Lola was pretty excited to get out of the truck. She jumped out, ran around a bit, and pooed in camp. I buried it quickly and we went down to the river. Lola jumped in and peed. Bah! Anyway, we set up camp quickly and without too much trouble from Lola. She did keep jumping on our bedding with her wet and muddy body but that wasn’t too annoying.

We then decided to go on a hike. We went up a river that is absolutely beautiful. It has waterfall after waterfall and is breathtaking. It was hard to pay attention to the beauty though because Lola was CONSTANTLY getting in front of our feet and tripping us. It was so frustrating! At first it was funny but it started to get a little dangerous on the precarious river. I even fell and smashed my thumb and wrenched the nail back because she got where I needed to step one time. Ouch!

We went back to camp after that and made lunch. I made sure to bring plenty of doggie snacks for Lola so she hopefully wouldn’t try to steal our food too much. It didn’t work. She ate all the doggie snacks we could give her, plus 2 bowls of dog food and would still not stop grabbing, and jumping, and snapping at our food. I mean she was relentless! We were so hungry and she WOULD NOT let us eat in peace. We were both at the end of our patients at that point so we decided we had better tie her up. I didn’t want her to feel left out or isolated so we tied her right in camp where she was only a few feet from us. She threw a fit. She whined, barked, grumbled ( I mean that literally), and turned her back on us (still whining). We realized that having her close to us was just making it worse for her so we tied her a little ways from camp. We tried to get her to where she couldn’t see us but I think she still could because that was when the barking started. On and on and on. She barked until 2:00 in the morning and then started up again at 6:00 in the morning. Not funny. Not funny at all. Mark and I both slept horribly Not only was it noisy and distracting but I was paranoid that coyotes or a mountain lion would come and grab an easy noisy prey. We’ve heard coyotes in those mountains before!

Well this morning we got up, packed up camp and came home. So much for having any time at all in the mountains.   When I brought Lola back into the back yard and put her on her usual chain she walked right over to the shade and sat down, content as could be. Lola is never going camping with us again.

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Tags: bad behavior, bad dog, bad nights sleep, camping, camping with a dog, dog, food, Lola, misbehaving dog, naughty dog, not sleeping, river, silly dog, sleeping bag, waterfall, weird dog

“Having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God”

I’m sure you’ve been in church when someone has said something like, “Let’s not dive too deeply into the mysteries,” or, “that’s one of the mysteries that we don’t really need to know right now.”

Of course, they are right. The things which the Lord has not revealed are not presently important for us to have. Things like the how dinosaurs fit into the plan, the precise location of the lost tribes of Israel, and the date of the second coming are all interesting subjects that we’ll someday understand, but don’t need to now. But whenever I read verses like this one (1 Nephi 1:1), I have to question if mysteries is the right word to refer to things we’re not meant to know.

Why do I say that? Well, it just seems like every time the scriptures are talking about mysteries, they’re talking about something we should be trying to obtain.

The Scriptural Definition of “Mysteries” seems to be “Knowledge received through the Holy Ghost” (Except when spoken by a wicked person). The Scriptures say that the mysteries are “that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal” (D&C 42:61). It also seems clear that in order for one to receive mysteries, they must do so by the Holy Ghost. If the Holy Ghost is not the means of making the knowledge known or confirming the knowledge of a mystery, a person cannot receive it.

1 Corinthians 2:4-14

4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Nephi 10:17-19

17 And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things which he saw in a vision, and also the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost, which power he received by faith on the Son of God—and the Son of God was the Messiah who should come—I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of hold as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men.

18 For he is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.

19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.

Alma 12:9

9 And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.

D&C 8:9-11

9 And, therefore, whatsoever you shall ask me to tell you by that means, that will I grant unto you, and you shall have knowledge concerning it.

10 Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought not.

11 Ask that you may know the mysteries of God, and that you may translate and receive knowledge from all those ancient records which have been hid up, that are sacred; and according to your faith shall it be done unto you.

D&C 42:61

61 If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.

D&C 63:23.

23 But unto him that keepeth my commandments I will give the mysteries of my kingdom, and the same shall be in him a well of living water, springing up unto everlasting life.

Anyway, you get the idea. I think the Lord intends for us to seek those kinds of mysteries – meaning knowledge that must be obtained through the Holy Ghost, such as testimony and the Spirit of prophecy – stuff like that.

The only problem is, what do we call all the other weird stuff if we can’t call it mysteries? Freaky stuff? Nah, that sound too negative. Maybe just – weird stuff. Or perhaps speculation… yeah, I like that – speculative stuff. The word speculation has a bit of a bad rap already, so I guess it fits.

1 Nephi 1:1

“having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days”

Hang on. Did Nephi just say he was favored of the Lord? Isn’t that the same thing as favorite? Does the Lord have favorites, or am I just reading this wrong? What does it mean to be favored of the Lord?

1 Nephi 17:33-36

33 And now, do ye suppose that the children of this land, who were in the land of promise, who were driven out by our fathers, do ye suppose that they were righteous? Behold, I say unto you, Nay.

34 Do ye suppose that our fathers would have been more choice than they if they had been righteous? I say unto you, Nay.

35 Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God. But behold, this people had rejected every word of God, and they were ripe in iniquity; and the fulness of the wrath of God was upon them; and the Lord did curse the land against them, and bless it unto our fathers; yea, he did curse it against them unto their destruction, and he did bless it unto our fathers unto their obtaining power over it.

Interesting. I guess that makes sense. Would the Lord have the Israelites go in and take over the land of Canaan if the native Canaanites had been righteous? Of course not. In fact, the Lord had tried to help them become righteous. He had done all He could for the native Canaanites. But they had rejected all His words, and proven that under no circumstances would they improve their lives. I suppose from the Lord’s point of view, the best chance they had was if He were to destroy them and then work with them on the other side of the veil. Where they stood now, they were getting into deeper and deeper trouble – not to mention forcing their children (by not allowing them to be exposed to the truth) to live lives of iniquity also. That’s hardly fair to the children.

So he had them destroyed so there could again be righteousness on the earth, giving future generations a chance for happiness.

Do you know what this reminds me of? Parenthood. Tell me if this sounds familiar:

Two kids are playing. Kid #1 is playing peacefully with a toy. Kid #2 comes and pushes kid #1 to the ground and takes the toy. Parent scolds kid #2 and gives the toy back to kid #1. Kid #2 complains to parent and throws a temper tantrum, earning a time out. Kid #1 goes on playing, and kid #2 spends the next ten minutes writhing in the unfairness of the whole situation. Why doesn’t he get to play with the toy? Why does he have to go in time out? Why is the parent favoring kid #1? He’s not better than me! Why is he treated like a favorite?

Etc, etc.

Or how about when the two are told by the parent that if they finish their homework, they can stay up late. Kid #1 finishes homework, and kid #2 puts it off and doesn’t do the homework. Kicking and screaming, kid #2 goes to bed normal time, and kid #1 gets to stay up late.

Kid #1 is not ruffled. Parent isn’t ruffled. But kid #2 is bouncing on the floor in fury, ready to call the ACLU.

Alma 28:13

13 And thus we see how great the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the devil, which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men.

I guess it’s not God who’s making things so unfair down here. It’s us – with the help of ol’ scratch, of course. mr. angry-pants just can’t let an opportunity go to feed us with the claim that if there was a god, he would love us all the same and treat us all the same no matter what we did.

Of course God loves us all. He’s just being a good parent.

This is Sariah, one of my favorite characters from the Book of Mormon. Well, I should say it’s what I imagine she may have looked like. Her family was commanded by Heavenly Father to leave their home and travel into the wilderness and eventually settle here in America. It’s so neat to read about their struggles and triumphs and about their faith in Heavenly Father. There is a time where even Sariah (who from what I can tell was a very faithful, brave woman) struggled with her faith. It’s encouraging to me to realize that even the strongest among us struggle sometimes and that we all have trials to overcome. I’m so grateful that these people took the time to write about their lives and about the amazing experiences that came to them because they were obedient. I am forever grateful for the Book of Mormon and the strength it brings into my own life.

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Tags: ancient times, art, art from the Book of Mormon, Book of Mormon artwork, Book of Mormon stories, journey, LDS artwork, Lehi, Nephi, old woman, painting of woman from the Book of Mormon, portrait of Sariah, stories, wilderness, women from the book of Mormon, women in art

These are my latest commissions. One is of a kitty named Sophie that an awesome lady asked me to do for her. She was a lovely flame point persian. The cat I mean, not the lady. Hahaha! Anyway, the other is for our neighbors, who we really like a lot. They have 2 lamas and they wanted a painting of them. They also requested that I include a cabin, a stream, and the mountains in the background. The mountains are actually the exact mountains that are behind our (and of course their) home. So pretty. So if any of you out there want me to do a painting for you, let me know! Haha!

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Tags: artist, cat, commissioned artwork, commissions available, commissions by artist, flamepoint persian, kitty, landscape, Maria Hathaway Spencer, painting, painting of a cat, painting of a river, persian cat

Ah, the weather is beautiful today! I’m out in the back yard working on a new painting. I paused to blog. I’m typing on this cool little word processor called a NEO that I can carry with me anywhere. I totally rocks.

I’m letting Lola run around the yard while I work. She’s so funny though. She won’t run around the yard unless I do as well. She just wants to stay right with me. That’s wonderful when we’re out walking but when I’m trying to work it’s a pain! She KEEPS stealing my pencils, my eraser, my NEO. The only thing that will calm her down is for me to play my Irish whistle. The instant I start playing she settles right down and sits near me in the shade. Every time. It’s fascinating to me. She loves music! I think that’s so neat. See, dogs and people aren’t so different. She just wants to run around, love and be loved, and to have some good music to listen to. I can relate to that.

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Tags: artwork, backyard, dog behavior, dogs, dogs and music, dogs and people, fun, happy, happy dog, Irish whistle, music, painting in the backyard, painting outside, people, silly dog, summer

This one still needs to be trimmed on the left hand side cuz kittens nibbled the corner. Hahaha!

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Tags: ancient, art, beauty, home, kitties, Native American, tipi, woman

This one is called Little Dancing Boy. I’m proud of this one on account of the fact that Lola ate the first attempt. Hahaha!

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Tags: art, artwork, blue, color, dancer, dog ate my art, green, indian dancer, little boy, native american nature, red, yellow

Well, Lola has been as crazy as ever lately. Yesterday my husband and I decided to go for a drive in the mountains. We wanted to take Lola but we didn’t want her to leap out to her doom again so we chained her in to the back of the truck. Mark made the chain just long enough that she could look over the side but not jump out. We drove up into the mountains and then saw a really beautiful spot to stop and take some pictures so we got out and started walking away from the truck. I looked back (thank goodness) just in time to see Lola leap out of the truck and dangle by her neck from the side of the truck! OH MY GOODNESS!!! I about had a heart attack! I ran to her and lifter her and as fast as I could unfastened the chain that was attached to her collar. She bounded off merrily towards Mark tail wagging away as if nothing had happened at all. That dog is insane.

She was awesome today though. I took her for a run after dark and as I was jogging along a dog came charging at me from the side snarling and acting like it was going to attack me. Lola, who had been ahead of me suddenly turned and bolted at the dog, snarling and barking right back. I couldn’t tell if she actually bit it or what but it ran away yelping and whining. YES! GO LOLA! She is such a good friend. I love her. Even though I did trip over her and scrape my knee when she ran at the dog. She’s my girl. Yah!

©2010 maria. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us
Tags: best friends, black dog, black lab, dog, dogs, friend, fun, good buddy, good dog, good times, happy, happy dog, Lola, play, puppy, running

So, I mentioned in my last blog, the one about my insane dog, that my cat had kittens recently. Well they are about 2 months old now. There are six of them. My house is a circus. CONSTANT entertainment. The little fuzzball’s names are Rocky, Foomf, Elf, Per, Panther, and Fred. The momma’s name is Persia, that’s where Per gets her name. She was the first one we met.

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and my husband was taking a nap. Persia had been wandering around and I was in the bathroom playing with my hair. Suddenly I heard the funniest little high pitched squealing sound. I walked out into the living room and there was Persia with a tiny little ball of wiggly fuzz in front of her. She had brought a kitten in from some hiding place outside! Mind you, we weren’t even sure if she’d had kittens. We had suspected since she went from fat to really skinny all of a sudden but it was such a surprise! Persia came with this house you see. We moved here in December and Persia was living in the yard. The previous owner passed away recently and the cat was left alone. We started feeding her and gave her the name Persia and she slowly warmed up to us and eventually started coming inside a lot to visit. We thought she was pregnant because she was so fat but weren’t really sure. Then we went out of town for a week and came back to a skinny cat. We totally thought at that time that she’d had kittens but couldn’t find any sign of them anywhere and eventually gave up on the idea. Until of course 2 weeks later when all of a sudden one appeared on our living room floor.

Persia spent the rest of that day bringing kittens into the house one by one, taking the time with each one to comfort and feed it and make it feel comfortable in it’s new home. She’s such a good momma.

Our household has been blast ever since. We are constantly laughing our heads of at the antics of these lively little characters. From climbing up window screens to stealing butter off the dinner table. They are always into something. And the wrestling! If they’re awake, they’re wrestling. It’s just a given. They are wrestling right now. At my feet! Hahaha!

©2010 maria. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us
Tags: cats, crazy, family, fun, funny, happy, hilarious, house, household, kittens, kitty, love, momma, momma cat, persian cats, pet cat painting, pets, time

About a month and a half ago Mark and I took in my brother’s dog. Our yard is big and we don’t have little kids for the dog to chew on. She loves chew toys. Just kidding, she would never chew on a child. A kitten maybe, but not a child. Anyway, we just have a better situation here for a dog, so we took her in. I like to take her running almost every day and Mark and I love to take her for long walks. She’s so loving and energetic. She really is a delight to have around. She does however have her flaws just as everyone does. For example, as we go on our lovely long walks, it’s really not uncommon for Lola to want to randomly run into someone’s house if their front door happens to be open. We live in an old town and a few weeks ago she decided to run into the old school that they were setting up for an event. She then, with her loving personality decided to become best friends forever with some dude who was clearly busy moving equipment and such for the event. He didn’t seem to agree with her assessment of their future friendship at all. It took quite a lot of effort by Mark and me to remove her from this nice man. It was rather embarrassing.

Another personality trait that’s a bit challenging is her ceaseless, overwhelming desire to chase animals that are smaller than her. Since Mark and I also have a cat with kittens this trait has lead her to literally destroy our screen door. She once charged into the house after somehow freeing herself from her chain and bolted after the little pile of kittens which of course immediately scattered leaving one kitten and a mamma cat who was happy to fight right back. Well, I tackled Lola to the ground and took her back outside.

This insane desire to charge small animals took over one day as we were driving up in the mountains looking for a good place to hike. Lola who was riding in the back of our truck, saw a squirrel. She leaped out a 30 miles per hour, rolled, immediately realized her mistake and bolted full speed after the truck on three legs. By this time we had stopped and I was running towards her as well. We got her back into the truck and Mark carefully examined her leg. She was shaking pretty badly but didn’t seem to have any real injuries, just some scrapes and a little missing fur. After a few minutes she was using all four legs again as though nothing had happened. We went ahead and went on our hike, keeping a close eye on her but she was fine and has been ever since.

That’s not to say that she hasn’t been chased by animals herself. We were out for a walk one afternoon and we decided to cut across a big field to shortcut home. Well we were maybe halfway there when we noticed this huge dog in the distance. Our neighbors have warned us in the past that this dog has a tendency to kill smaller dogs. We became concerned for Lola so Mark and I agreed that I would take Lola and veer back another way at a jog while he distracted Big White Dog, which is what we call the huge dog. So I went with Lola at my side heading back to the road. After a few minutes I noticed three large animals coming at us fast. It was 2 horses and a mule. They were galloping right for us! I’ve never experienced horses or mules galloping at me. It was most disconcerting. I looked back for Mark but he was nowhere in site. I veered another direction but the horses kept chase and before I knew it Lola and I were surrounded by horses and a mule. They sort of circled us and the 2 horses then came up and greeted me in a tentative but friendly way and I calmed down quickly. I then noticed however that Lola was not fairing so well. The mule was chasing poor Lola in a circle around me and the horses trying to stomp her! I ran at the mule and pointed my finger yelling NO! It stopped thank goodness and by that time Mark was coming and the horses and mule went to see him. Oh my goodness. What an adventure. Especially for Lola.

She’s not so good for yard work either. Every time I weed a flower garden she has to sit right in the flowers I’m trying to weed. She doesn’t sit next to me or behind me, no she has to sit right where I’m working. SO ANNOYING! And the other day I noticed this beautiful blooming flower in our yard. It was huge and bright pink. It’s the first flower I’ve seen blooming in our yard. As I was standing there admiring it Lola came out of nowhere and chomped it! Arrgh! It was so funny though. I have to admit.

She’s weird too. A few days ago she ran away for about an hour. We couldn’t find her anywhere. We looked for a few minutes but realized it was sort of futile. And we knew she’d come back when she was ready and she did. The only thing was, when she came back she was covered in poo. I don’t know why. Why would you be covered in poo? Gross! I washed her off with the hose.

The scariest thing that she’s done is getting sucked into a river pipe. We were on another walk and she was wandering around as usual. We live in the mountains so we feel it’s good for her to explore around on our walks, not be stuck on a leash. Anyway, she went down to the river to get a drink. I was a little concerned cuz it’s so high right now with runoff. Well she didn’t come back up. I looked around and couldn’t see her anywhere. I was starting to get worried when she came running towards us soak and wet from down stream. I looked and realized that she must have gotten sucked into the pipe that was right next to where she went down to get a drink. She was then pulled under the ground for awhile and came out on the other side. She was dripping wet but didn’t even seem shaken at all. I was. My goodness gracious sakes alive. That dog.

Well her latest adventure happened last night. We were on a late night walk cuz Mark and I had been at an art show all day and got home late. It was about 11:00 pm. We were walking along and I noticed this horrible smell. Then it was gone. Then it was back and then gone again. I started to notice it was only there when Lola was near us. I got closer and smelled her and OH MY GOODNESS! She stunk so bad. It was skunk! She must have been sprayed. Poor dog! It got my hands so I treated them with vinegar and baking soda and we’ll do the same for Lola today. We couldn’t do it last night because we didn’t have enough and where we live the stores are all closed at night. Poor Lola has had to smell herself all night long. Hopefully she doesn’t notice it anymore. She looks calm as I look out there. Poor dog.

©2010 maria. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us
Tags: black lab, boarder collie, crazy dog, dog love, dogs, half black lab half boarder collie, happy dog, labradors, life with dogs. labs, love, loving dogs

I’ll be going to Orem Utah tomorrow to participate in the Orem Arts in the Park show. The good thing about art shows it that you get to be outside all day. I spend most of the day outside here though anyway.

©2010 maria. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us
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I thought it might be fun to set music to the Book of Mormon by playing the piano while listening to a recorded reading of it. The tune was improvised on the spot so I could have the mood change with the words. It starts out a little cheesy, but overall  I think it worked okay. Let me know what you think!

Unfinished Piece

I’d like to put another instrument or two in this piece, but I haven’t decided what yet. It’s not named yet, and I’ve got some ideas – but I’d be glad to hear your suggestions!

What does it need? What do you like/dislike about it? Tell me what you think!

Chas

Cartoon by hartboy on flickr

“…and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days…”

These are clearly the words of an optimist. Nephi wasn’t kidding when he said he’s seen many afflictions in the course of his days. Can you imagine having to leave your home, your bank account, and everyone you’ve ever known (other than your immediate family,) to go blaze a trail to an undiscovered country and settle there? Oh, and let’s just make you the leader of the new colony, too.

You’ve probably heard someone point out that Laman and Lemuel did do the things they were asked to do. They did leave Jerusalem with their riches. They did go get the plates. They did go back for Ishmael’s family. They did help build the boat. They even crossed the ocean like God commanded. What was the difference? Their attitude. They complained every step of the way, and tried every which way to get out of their duties. They never killed their father or brother, but they highly considered it. In the end, their attitude destroyed them and their posterity.

But what about Nephi? Didn’t he complain? As far as we know, he never did. He suffered all the same things his brothers did (including guilt – see 2 Ne. 4: 17), and though even his father complained at one point, it seems that Nephi never did.

I guess it’s too late for me to become like Nephi in that sense, but I can change. I can become one who doesn’t complain, doesn’t resist duties, and doesn’t put off what I should be doing.

In case at this point you’re experiencing doubts about my assertion that Nephi never complained, check this out:

1 And it came to pass that we did again take our journey in the wilderness; and we did travel nearly eastward from that time forth. And we did travel and wade through much affliction in  the wilderness; and our women did bear children in the  wilderness.

Sounds like he might be ready to complain, right? Here are his next words:

2 And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings.

Did you catch that?! “We only get to eat raw meat, but it’s totally awesome, because the babies are still getting good mommy Juice – and these moms, by the way, are as buff as the guys, thank you very much. No complaints here!”

The closest some of us could come to saying something like Nephi said would probably be to tell about how there are plenty of things that suck about having children.

Wow, we’ve got a lot of growing to do!

Of course our ultimate goal is to become like the Savior, Jesus Christ, but I think emulating Nephi is a step in the right direction!

Slipscapades SAMPLE

Since it’s fully blizzarding today (in late May!), I thought I’d post a sample of a fun little original piece I’m putting on the Christmas CD called Figure Eights and Slipscapades. I think you’ll see why I call it that when you listen it. It’s a fun little piano duet, and it makes me think of an ice-skating couple. Obviously, they aren’t perfect at skating, and though they have some beautiful synchronized moments, they also have a few slips.

Anyway, Enjoy!

Chas

GoldEN Plates

Continuing the discussion on the introductory stuff in the Book of Mormon.

This is one of those videos that just makes you want to keep going…

Life and love really can and should be forever.

I’m not sure where media came up with the idea that beauty has something to do with weight, but it’s not true. Actually, I think media has knowingly taken upon itself the role to make sure that the general population is ugly. In reality, they know nothing about beauty at all. The problem is, they’ve convinced us that their “standards” of beauty should be sought at all costs.

As a rather ugly guy, I’ve actually thought a lot about this. The world’s whole approach is to create totally meaningless standards that can only be met by the consumption of products and services that only they can provide. The only way they can keep the demand so disgustingly high is to make sure that 90% of the population is way below the expectation.

All the while, God keeps telling us, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; …for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”

Of course, the world has to make itself louder than the voice of the Spirit in order to maintain it’s powerful status. But Beauty is NOT in the eye of the beholder. It is in the eye of God. God cares nothing about physical attractiveness, but he cares a great deal about the beauty that comes of bearing children, which naturally causes some flabbiness and increase of skin and weight.

Have you ever noticed that a mother carries a brightness in her eyes that is very obvious and beautiful – and unique to mothers? It first shows up when she is pregnant, and those who know the feature can often figure out she is pregnant before the slightest belly begins to show. And it’s beautiful! So why do we not see it? For the same reason that we turn our heads at the sound of a coin drop, while not noticing the dozens of bird songs surrounding us. The world has done its job well, training us that beauty is in features that it has chosen, and we are the unhappy recipients of its lies. There is a reason that satan is called the father of lies, as well as the prince of this world. He directs the world in its quest to keep the population depressed.

But you can be the exception. You can learn to see beyond the world’s ridiculous aspirations, and see beauty, including your own, as God sees it! The moment you ask God for His view on things, He’ll open to you a whole new vision that is so much more beautiful, so much more exciting, and so much more fulfilling than ANYTHING the world has to offer.

Once you see things that way, you may glance back, and see all the myriads clamoring for another lost pound, another lost wrinkle, or another face-lift. There’s a reason those clamorers are depressed. There’s a reason they can never seem to grasp what dangles just before them at every moment, and it’s not because they are too ugly or too fat, or even too sinful. It is simply because they have let satan distract them from something that he can NEVER have – true, eternal beauty.

Under his direction, the world shouts, “You’re too baggy, you’re hideous, you’re too wrinkly!” All the while he is silently scared to death that you will notice the real beauty that is you, because the moment you see that, he has no power over you.

That is the moment when life becomes grand and beautiful. That’s the moment that you realize that you are already living your “happily ever after.” That’s the moment you realize that all of your dreams are already being fulfilled.

Don’t let satan distract you from that. God knows who you really are, and is anxiously waiting for you to ask Him about it so He can explain it to you. You may know it already in theory, and you may have heard it over and over in Sunday school, but you should hear His personal explanation of it to you. I promise it’s worth the asking.

- and don’t let up until He tells you everything.

I just got interviewed by Sarah M. Eden for her blog.

Check it out this Friday!

I just got interviewed by Sarah M. Eden for her blog.

Check it out this Friday!

I don’t know whether or not any of you have noticed but lately my art has been changing. I’m not as concerned about how ‘realistic’ a painting is anymore. I’m much more interested in expressing myself creatively and sharing the way I feel about life and beauty. I want my paintings to flow with emotion and color. I want to drink deeply of the beauty that surrounds me and then create my own unique beauty that hopefully others will drink deeply of. I want my paintings to have a life of there own, not just look ‘real’. I kind of feel like I’m on an artistic journey. That sounds all dramatic, I know, but I love journeys and I constantly want to better myself and that includes (but isn’t at all limited to) my art.

©2010 maria. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us
Tags: art, artist, artistic journey, beauty, color, emotion, growing, growing as an artist, journey, life, Maria Hathaway, Maria Hathaway Spencer, paintings, sharing

I finally got around to putting my Hymn Arrangements on playlist.com. So if you have one of those cool little playlists on your blog or website, then pick a tune on the playlist below and click the little “add” button to add the song it to your playlist. Come on, you know you want to! If you don’t have a playlist on your blog, it’s easy to set up. Let me know in the comments and I’ll give you a little tutorial.

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I finally got around to putting my Hymn Arrangements on playlist.com. So if you have one of those cool little playlists on your blog or website, then pick a tune on the playlist below and click the little “add” button to add the song it to your playlist. Come on, you know you want to! If you don’t have a playlist on your blog, it’s easy to set up. Let me know in the comments and I’ll give you a little tutorial.

While you’re at it, feel free to add some of my original stuff from my newest CD, The Ancestor. It will be fuuuuuuunnnnn! Just do it. Come oooooonnnn, Everybody’s doing itsubliminalmessage:click”add”subliminalmessage:click”add”subliminalmessage:click”add”