GROWING UP AS CALVES IN THE STALL

I love this statement from Isaiah.  It plants a perfect picture of Millennial life.

Where we have parents who care and who teach only good principles - and successive generations who espouse and teach good principles.

This is part of the reason Pres. Nelson and those leading have talked about spiritual preparation as much as physical preparation.  We just moved in Cardston and live literally in the shadow of the temple.  My aunt just moved and also lives in the shadow of the temple.  Cardston is not a perfect place, nor the people - but this is the best shot I can give my kids for growing up as calves in the stall.  The High School is just behind the youth entrance to the Baptismal and the children often go on their half days of school to perform youth baptisms.  It is an amazing place to be with youth.

Here is a comment by Robert Briscoe on when we are ripened in iniquity:

I was reading and found what is was to be fully ripe in iniquity. It is when the children do not have any more chance at growing up in righteousness because we are teaching our children to be evil. This is what is was like in the world before the flood. As I look at the youth today, we are in the process of teaching them evil ways in school and in society... we are RIPE! 

We were living in Kalispell with my wife's mother (who has not been active for decades, and we figured we would take care of in her old age) and who, I thought, had quit "kicking against the pricks":

9 I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

10 Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.11 And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.
12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.
14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

  My wife approached her room one day and she was busy saying stuff that undermined our value set, to the two oldest children.  I have not been made privy to what it was exactly - but it made my wife very upset.  When she gets upset, I know to be upset along with her because she gets along with everyone and everyone loves her for her gentle demeanor. 

For this and other reasons, we punched out and moved to Cardston.  It cost our family in the tens of thousands of dollars in the fire sale and run for the border - but a line had been crossed and you do not put a price on salvation of innocents.  There are physical pedophiles (that can harm the body - and thus the mind and subsequently the spirit) - and there are those who can harm the spirit in a frontal assault.  I am not sure which one I would rather take my chances with - if I were forced to choose, but I never stuck around long enough to attempt to figure that one out.  We were gone in a way that still takes my breath away; we accomplished the inhuman in record time.  I am not sure I will ever accomplish anything with as much energy ever again.  It was akin to all the effort put into my mission or getting an engineering degree in about a four month period.  I was motivated as never before.

Last night, in the cool of the evening, I ran into a young family who have the light of Christ in their countenance.  The wife taught a sour-dough class that my wife attended.  We chatted briefly and I asked the usual question (had they read VoG?).  The answer was yes - so I walked with them until I had given my whole "spiel" on the matter (defended Spencer, etc and laid out the facts as they are, and not as the FAIRisees have portrayed him).

One of my parting statements was that I do not care the consequences, but that I would like to raise my kids as "calves in the stalls" devoid of predators who would steal innocence, sap faith, break down truth or lay waste to good reason.  As we "call ourselves out" of Babylon and work to strengthen those around us, may we all be part of this great and glorious future.  May we live up to our potential and throw off our shackles, no matter what they may be as we bring in Zion.

May we one day be able to live in the shadow of the temple of the "Center Stake" of Zion.