The Sabbath - A Delight

I … would urge upon all Saints everywhere a more strict observance of the Sabbath day. The Lord’s holy day is fast losing its sacred significance throughout the world. … More and more, man destroys the Sabbath’s sacred purposes in pursuit of wealth, pleasure, recreation, and the worship of false and material gods. We continue to urge all Saints and God-fearing people everywhere to observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Businesses will not be open on the Sabbath if they are not patronized on that holy day. The same is true of resorts, sporting events, and recreation areas of all kinds. Pursuit of the almighty dollar is winning, it seems, over the Lord’s commandment, “Keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary” (Lev. 19:30).
The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important, but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, writing letters to missionaries, taking a nap, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day at which he is expected.
Take time [on the Sabbath] to be together as families to converse with one another, to study the scriptures, to visit friends, relatives, and the sick and lonely. This is also an excellent time to work on your journals and genealogy.

"It's worth it, Oh, Katie, is it worth it."

The title of this post comes from an essay by Erika Price in the Spring 2003 issue of BYU Magazine. I have been going through my old magazines and tossing them, but keeping certain articles that may prove useful in the future (proving once again that I can never really truly throw anything away). Reading this short essay, and having listened to one of my favorited addresses by Elder Holland, Who We Are, And What God Expects Us To Do (given 22 years ago), made me reflect with gratitude on the great education I received at BYU. Was it worth it? Oh yes, it was worth it! That is why the prophets have always instructed us, and continue to instruct us, to get all the education we can.


This extends to any institution of higher education, not just BYU. I admire greatly all those who have, and are, pursuing their education "to the limit" in order to expand their ability to serve others to the greatest extent. And "getting all the education you can" extends far beyond our years in the formal system. Continuing education is a way of life for Saints, just as surely as is participating in any of the other Christ-Culture activities we focus on (pick your favorite). But there is a catch or two. Continuing education requires that: (1) We truly believe in eternal progression, which is really just another way of saying continuing education, so that we don't find ourself with a year's experience times our age (this is far easier than you may think); (2) We remain humble, because you can never teach anything to someone who already knows it; and (3) We repent, because "a lesson is never learned until it is lived".
Pursuing such a course is more difficult than we sometimes want to believe, or recognize - mainly because of perception problems brought on by our lack of proper focus. But it is critical to our eternal happiness, because it is fundamental to how we will spend that portion of eternity that succeeds our current state. So, continuing education -- is it worth it? Is it ever!

55 - James Branches Out

For years we have been the recipients of very creative and funny birthday cards from James. This year he decided to kick it up a notch and go electronic. I hope you enjoy it.

55 - The Best 60%

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55 & Exceeding the Fun Limit

55 years ago my grandparents living in Utah received a surprise - my folks called to tell them about my birth. Having moved to California the year before, and times being what they were, it was relatively easy for my folks to keep my impending birth a secret from their folks. Following up on that surprising beginning, I have no doubt spent a lifetime surprising people.
So just for fun, here are a few photos from my life showing some of the people and times I am so very grateful for. (By the way, if you have trouble picking me out of some of the photos, let me know.) This is the oldest photo of me I have found to date. The setting is between sessions at a stake conference in Gridley, CA. Remember how there used to be 2 sessions each on Saturday & Sunday? This is the lunch on the lawn between sessions - I am the one standing on the left with the help of my dad.

Here I am with mom, Mike & Joseph in front of 1410 Youngs Lane in Yuba City. This is probably in 1955, the summer before the flood.

This photo is exactly 50 years old. On Halloween night in 1959, 6 days after I turned 5, we left 1410 Youngs Lane for the ward Halloween party at the Clark Avenue chapel. Afterward we went home to 373 Second Street where I lived for the next 14 years.

Here we are, some of us, on that great little VW (before dad painted it yellow). Note the doors are still on the little shed on the side of the garage.

And here I am with my dad again, in front of that old green Dodge Pioneer.

I don't appear old enough to be a boy scout in this picture, but somewhere I must have acquired a tee shirt from GTSR.

Another photo, probably around 1970-71; I remember I got that shirt as a Junior. This time, my mom is in the scouting uniform. Happy times in the back yard of 373 Second Street.

Peter & I with Wayne Adair at Donner Mine YW Camp during the summer of 1971. Lots of interesting stories came out of that summer.

Gold & Green Ball 1972. Brown suede shoes, a flowered shirt, and a cool double-breasted - corduroy - sport coat borrowed from my brother Joseph. Note the really neat parquet gym floor the Clark Avenue chapel used to have.

In the green Hornet (AMC) in NYC.

In front of our apartment in Newark, NJ - by Branch Brook Park. Here we had a copper Vega and covered the entire southern half of NJ for Spanish speaking people. In Newark we lived down the street from a Hershey's chocolate factory, so we got a nose full every time we walked down the street.

Here we are 33 years ago in one of the proofs of our wedding announcement photo. Without a doubt the best decision I have ever made, or ever hope to make.

Here we are on a cold day in December 1976. A great start to a wonderful marriage. Did I mention I like brown?

In order of appearance, left to right: James, me, Andrea in curlers. This is from when we lived in Bountiful shortly after James was born in 1980.

The roadshow kids in Bennion - 2 smurfs, a care bear, and a troll. Boy I could sure use those ears now.

Our family just keeps growing and growing. Here we are in 2005 in Harter Park behind the museum in YC. The photographer was Rebecca Knudson of infinite patience.

Since then we have added some more, shown here earlier this summer in Don & Jana's back yard.

Me & my friend the bear in the redwoods last year.

Another of us together - I seem to have a lot of these from over the years.

More additions to the ever expanding R&J Hall Family - at the very famous Indy Zoo earlier this year.

And finally, the happy couple last Christmas at the Sacramento Temple when we all gathered after Peter returned from Switzerland. Stay tuned. . .

Push Back Against The World

Yesterday morning I awoke early (bad habit, can't break it) and listened to an great CES Fireside talk by Elder D. H. Oaks entitled Push Back Against The World. This was given from Pocatello, ID in 2007, and after some follow up comments from his previous CES Fireside talk, which originated from Oakland, CA, he gave a wonderful talk on how we can push the world out of our lives most effectively by keeping the Sabbath Day holy.

At one point, maybe more, he quotes Chapter 16 of the Presidents of the Church - Spencer W. Kimball manual, The Sabbath - A Delight. So I reviewed that chapter and found a treasure of inspiration to obey more completely this commandment. I share some of it with you as part of my testimony that God lives and has revealed through prophets how best to live.

"President Kimball saw the Sabbath as a day for active, joyful worship—a time to leave behind the things of the world and fill the day with righteous activity. Quoting scriptures, he encouraged the Saints to make the Sabbath “a delight” and to approach the day with “cheerful hearts and countenances” (Isaiah 58:13; D&C 59:15).

"Moses came down from the quaking, smoking Mount Sinai and brought to the wandering children of Israel the Ten Commandments, fundamental rules for the conduct of life. These commandments were, however, not new. They had been known to Adam and his posterity, who had been commanded to live them from the beginning, and were merely reiterated by the Lord to Moses. And the commandments even antedated earth life and were part of the test for mortals established in the council in heaven."