Mountains

Since moving to Lubbock, TX, I've thought a lot about mountains. Lubbock, for those who may read this and not know Lubbock exists, let alone where it is, is in the South Plains region of Texas, northish-west of Dallas about 5ish hours and south of Amarillo about the same distance. It's basically on a giant plateau, and the prominent geographical feature is the horizon. It's as flat as flat can be. It's so flat that the water has nowhere to go when it rains and there are massive flooding problems every time there is a downpour. It's so flat that the sun rises earlier and sets later than I could have imagined. It's so flat that pancakes look like mountains. It's so flat...well, you get the idea.

So, I think about mountains. A lot. I grew up in northern Utah, in the shadow of mountains. As a child, I woke in the mornings to the sound of canyon winds rushing by/through our house with fresh, mountain air. (Now I occasionally wake up to the sound of wind, filled with dust and whatever blows in from the oil wells and farm lands.) As a child, I took lots of hikes with my family, and we explored hidden waterfalls and would look down from the tops of the mountains to the shiny valleys below.

Cedar Breaks, Southern Utah

The hikes were often strenuous, but always worth it. Mountain tops are so peaceful. The world is far below and away, and it's easy to let your mind wander and wonder. The sun is closer yet less fierce, and life's problems seem to melt away. I miss mountains. Even though as I've gotten older I've gone up into them less (time constraints, mainly), mountains have always been a reminder to me of the peace I felt after all that physical exertion. I miss living in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains.

Looking up from Ogden Valley, Northern Utah

Is it a wonder that mountains have traditionally been where prophets have found God? The prime example, of course, is Moses, who saw God in the burning bush on a mountain:

 1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

 2 And the presence of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

 4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. (JST Exodus 3)

Later, when Moses was feeling rather down about his job (convincing Pharaoh to let the Israelites go), Moses learned about who he was and who God was and that God's purpose, His work and glory, "is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). Moses learned his potential as God's son. After Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt, across Jordan, and into the wilderness, the Lord again appeared to him and gave him the Law of Moses. Moses spent a lot of time in the mountains (and he had to hike them several times, poor guy).

Elijah had a similar experience when the Lord taught him about how the Holy Ghost communicates with man. Elijah went to Horeb, "the mount of God," seeking comfort and protection (since someone was trying to kill him). He then had this experience:

10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

 11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

 12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

 Elijah had to go to the mountains to hear the still small voice of the Lord, the Holy Ghost. He had to remove himself from the unrighteousness of his people to find God.


There is a mountain in Lubbock. It's a symbolic mountain, but it is there. Just like the real rocky mountains I miss, Lubbock's mountain reminds of the peace I feel when I go inside it. This mountain is Lubbock Texas Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Salt Lake Temple Spires

Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are primarily places of learning, a graduate school, if you will, for faithful, qualified, worthy members of the church. In temples, we learn more about our relationship with God and our eternal potential as His children. Not all members of the Church can enter the temple; all must be interviewed by two local church leaders, proving that they have a conviction in the beliefs of the Church, they keep God's commandments, and they are full participants in the Church's organizations (among other things). However, all members of the Church have opportunity to meet the requirements to enter the temple.

Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple

We do not speak in specifics about what goes on inside our temples, because temples are in a very literal way Houses of God, and the things done inside are sacred and holy. We have been asked to speak in general terms about these things outside the temple, to preserve their sacred nature. So much in this world has become profane because of overuse and ridicule. We wish to keep temples pure and sacred.

Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple

However, I will say that in temples we participate in rites and ordinances and make covenants (promises) with God essential for salvation. We also vicariously perform these for our deceased ancestors. Ordinances, like baptism, are essential for us to dwell with God forever, and we want everyone that lives, has lived, and will live on this earth to have the opportunity to dwell with God forever. In our temples, we are baptized for our deceased relatives. Other essential ordinances are the endowment (literally, a gift from God) and eternal marriage, where a man and woman can be married, or sealed, together for time and eternity (not "till death do you part"). These ordinances teach us what it means to be with God, to be like God. Eternal marriages and families are the end purposes of the temple, and it is only in temples that we can be bound together forever.


Since I moved to Lubbock, I've been on a spiritual journey. Not that I wasn't on one before, but I've changed more in the last two years than in the six preceding years. Soon after I arrived in Lubbock, I had a greater spiritual desire for all the blessings God offers His children (see Abraham 1). This desire came at a pivotal time in my life; I was just starting my PhD program, and I was wondering how I would make it through the next five years (and the rest of my life). The answer was (and always will be) the temple.

Salt Lake Temple

This journey led me to the temple, God's mountain in Lubbock. In God's temple, on His mountain, I am learning more about Him. I feel a peace and joy in the temple that I cannot feel anywhere else. Like Moses, I find God in the temple and learn more about how I, personally, can gain immortality and eternal life and also how I can help others gain immortality and eternal life. Like Elijah, the temple is the place where I can hear the Lord in a way I cannot anywhere else. The temple provides protection from the troubles of life, and I know that as I keep the covenants I have made, God will bless me in ways I cannot fathom. He already has.

President Thomas S. Monson (current Prophet and President of the Church) said:

The world can be a challenging and difficult place in which to live. We are often surrounded by that which would drag us down. As you and I go to the holy houses of God, as we remember the covenants we make within, we will be more able to bear every trial and to overcome each temptation. In this sacred sanctuary we will find peace; we will be renewed and fortified. (Full address)

How did Moses do all that he did? How did Elijah become the great prophet he was? How will I survive graduate school (and life!)? By going into the mountains.


For more information about temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, click any of the links above or click here.