Rob & Berit

2008-03-25T20:08:00.000-07:00

Correspondence & Musings...

To all you lawyer lovers,
a woman is suing for damage to her vehicle caused when she backed the company car she was driving into her own vehicle parked in the company parking lot where she parked it. God bless America!
Rob
His bro, Craig:
Is this really true? You hear things on the net and emails that are totally bogus so I wanted to check. If its true where can I find the actual story
CP
Rob's reply:
this is MY case. you can find it by asking me questions.
RP (bkp: Rob was defending the insurance company. The woman was NOT his client!)

Rob on being Bishop of Philadelphia 4th:

.... Very busy. We have an interesting ward. You will appreciate this President/patriarch. We have a large population of African refugees from Liberia, Sierra Leone and surrounding countries. I know you did a mission in Africa and I can add my testimony to yours that the Lord is performing miracles with the African peoples. Our ward and the surrounding wards are baptizing hundreds each year. We are very blessed. It is often overwhelming trying to monitor the development of our new members. It is a good thing I had such great mission presidents from whom to learn. give my best [...etc.] Rob Price

Rob and The Liver Foundation:
...I would be happy to be involved in the Liver Walk as a team captain! My wife will most likely do the walk. Let me know what is needed. Could you please send me a copy of the Foundation's 501(c)(3) letter as I have contacted a company about being a possible donor for the walk and the Foundation in general. I am actually right across the street from the Foundation on Presidential Blvd so I can stop by and pick it up anytime [...etc.] Thanks, Robert Price

SNL tribute to Chuck Norris: He kicks and he punches with his hands and his feet . . . "This video is awesome!" Robert Price (Rob sang this not infrequently, often throwing in a round house kick for good measure.... live on brave warrior!)

Rob was legal counsel to the CEO of the US Burn Support Organization for the last 18 months. Just months before his passing, he had been officially appointed as a board member of the USBSO. He had done much to help this non-profit group to navigate the transition into the UN.

Dear Mr. Price:

I would like to give my joy of thanks, because without your strong guidance, I would be truly lost. Both the Preamble and Treaty looked really good and I am sure it will be well received tomorrow!

Sincerely,

H.E Brandon C. Jones-McGeer
High Commissioner for Burns, U.N -CEO

As of May 14th 2007, the US Burn Support Organization has officially been recognized by the United Nations under Consultative Relations with the Economic and Social Council, as a Non-Governmental Organization.

Rob served as President and former treasurer to the University of Utah Alumni, Philadelphia Chapter. Post-Op health complications prevented him from doing as much as he would have liked lately. However, he wonderfully trash talked the Zoobies for and on behalf of the Utes. GO UTES!

Rob helped launch a Philadelphia Chapter for the J. Reuben Clark Law Society (now going full swing):
I am an attorney in Philadelphia and would like to organize a JRC Chapter here. Please let me know what needs to be done to accomplish this [...etc.] Rob Price
Hi, Robert -- Thanks for inquiring. We've had Phila. on our radar for some time. I'll send this to Dean Scott Cameron, who I'm sure will get right back to you with his most current ideas. We appreciate your enthusiasm and support! [...etc.]
Best regards,
Joseph Bentley, Chair
International Board of Directors
J. Reuben Clark Law Society

President James E. Faust:
Our lawyers need to be more than successful advocates. We need to bring our sacred religious convictions and standards to the practice of law. To do otherwise would bring an inconsistency to our character. There always needs to be a connection between having an involvement in the law and living the gospel.

family wedding pics

2008-03-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

A Philadelphia Story!

2008-03-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

My husband, Rob, passed away just over a month ago (Feb 8, '08) and I have found great comfort in pouring through many of our cherished memories. I dedicate this blog to him as I hope to fill it with his pictures, humorous anecdotes, antics, writings, etc., etc., many of which just beg to be shared! My heart felt thanks go out to all who have mourned as well as rejoiced with me... I love easter time as we celebrate the resurrected Savior who enabled us to claim this sentiment: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Cor. 15:55)
As I move West next month, I hope to keep in touch with many of the wonderful friends Rob & I came to know and love in Philadelphia. My email is beritkprice@yahoo.com, please keep in touch! I am also going to turn Rob's old webpage: http://www.rpricelaw.com/ into a tribute to him pretty soon, so look that up in a few weeks when I get around to that.

Last night was a beautiful night! I picked up my friend, Johanna, and we headed to the symphony at Verizon Hall in the Kimmell Center. It was from the subscription series that Rob and I had for the Philadelphia Orchestra.
On our way to the concert en route from Johanna's home, we passed through a gorgeous section of Fairmount Park heading towards I76. Here, there was a stunning view of the luminous city just before sunset, looking more dazzling than any site I've ever seen! It was near here (picture) Rob & I first spoke openly of our desire to be eternally together back in July '04!!

The concert was spectacular and was conducted by one of the world's greats and Philadelphia's very own, Charles Dutoit. It featured ethereal siren like voices doing impossibly divine & melodious octave leaps (the Philadelphia Chorus, Women's Chorale were featured in the Debussy Nocturne and in Holst's 'The Planets' last night) and glorious brass fanfare, not to mention the magical effects of combined celesta, harps, xylophones, piano, & an elevated organ (which happens to be the largest world class concert hall organ in the US). Soooo amazing!

Presby Days

2008-03-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

We found occasional amusement eaves-dropping in on some of our eccentric neighbors antics during prolonged hospitalizations at Presby & HUP. Below is a candid shot of Rob doing said eaves-dropping.
Rob was ministered to by his former two counselors, Rob Wood (front right) and our now new Bishop, Bishop Lake, as well as our former Stake President, President Smith (now new Area Seventy), and his former counselor and the now new Stake Prez, President Coe (back left). From their leadership and service, we felt immense strength and comfort. How we love these men!

My heart breaks a thousand times to see my beloved husband in such a saddened state, and I longed to just be able to kiss it all better... oh how i love this man! Rob was hospitalized back in mid-October of '07 with a septic elbow. "You would be surprised at how much your elbow does. Flying with one bad wing is a real bummer. thank you for your prayers." Rob Price. Despite working with only one good wing, I admired how positive he remained as he rehabilitated his arm back to full range-of-motion, and how well he endured prolonged days in the hospital. As grateful as we were for the care, and that I could stay by his side every night (the cots were great!),

we longed to crawl into this together again . . .

our wedding pics

2008-03-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

Reminiscence

2008-03-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

Burgart parents visit us in Philly yo!

2008-03-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

Visiting in-laws in Canada, eh?

2008-03-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

Blast from the Past!

2008-03-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

Sketches done from Rob's youth

2008-03-13T11:40:00.000-07:00

Fall Flashback in Summit Valley, Vail & Denver

2008-03-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

Anticipating a possible future move to the gorgeous Mile High City, we enjoyed mixing pleasure with business as Rob was sworn into the Colorado Bar late September, 2007.

"What's the story, morning glory, what's the word...

2008-03-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

Hummingbird?!" Whenever I was over at our Bala Cynwyd neighbor's taking care of my sweet little Sydney, Rob would have his "telephone minute" with her and sing this 'Bye Bye Birdie' song!

What's the tale, nightingale?! Did you hear about Berit & Rob?!?!Did he give her the ring? Did she kiss him and sigh? Did he put the ring on? Or was he too shy? Well, I heard they got hitched...We love you Sydney (and Josh, of course, too) ... Oh yes, we do!!

slides in hawaiin frames of Rob before we met

2008-03-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

The Rogue Bachelor...

2008-03-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

The "incurable bachelor" set the record straight in a note written to the Zoobies (aka BYU Couger fans): I am now married so you can't belittle me about my "worldly" ways anymore, not that they existed in the first place, except in hyperbole.
...and his angelic future wife :)

{n.b. resume slideshow by pressing the x which will appear at the end in a small circle on the top right hand corner}

A long time ago on a website far, far away...

2008-03-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

Rob & I met on a website called LDSPlanet!

Here is a glimpse of this strange (but wonderfully amazing!) alien lifeform I found...
Rob's original profile intro:
I just figured it out. The reason I am still single is I have never forwarded one of those chain letter e-mails that gives you "all your wishes" and "makes all your dreams come true" if you send it to at least 10 friends in the next half hour! How could I be so blind?

I'm originally from Salt Lake City and graduated from the University of Utah. (the first official Philadelphia chapter of the alumni association will be starting soon). My entire family still lives in Utah but I moved to Philadelphia to practice law.

Someone send me a chain letter e-mail quick!!

A little about me...
Salt Lake transplant to Philadelphia approx. 7 years ago

How I feel about the Church...
extremely committed in every facet

What I do for fun...
entertain friends

After we got together, he revised his profile to look like this:
philabong's Profile Introduction:
I would like to meet a fireball of a woman, from Canada, specifically British Columbia who is interested in literature and music, who has an amazing personality, stunning looks, plays classical piano, is 33, is too sexy, is of German and Norwegian descent, has traveled all over the world, and who has met Arnold Schwarzeneggar. In fact, I think I am going to ask this woman to marry me!

Some of my favorite things to do...
rollerblading without the roller blades
getting "lost" at the Peter Whitmer Farm in Fayette County New York
poking my body with needles (hemophiliacs take factor shots as prophylaxis... he wrote this in response to my childhood dream to be a nurse when I grew up so I could poke people with needles. ...I know, warped child...)
If I had $10 million...
buy a concert grand piano
My perfect day would be...
with Berit
My greatest opportunity for improvement is...
my car is generally pretty dirty, except where it is clean
One final thing I'd like to mention...
My perfect woman would only like to watch a movie only one time, have a broken forearm, love blueberries and any other type of berry generally, enjoy eating banana protein powder, enjoy kissing me in Fairmount park, and be able to sing tunes from British TV programs. She should have recently been "asked to leave" a BC hotel for playing the piano without obtaining permission and it would be very cool if she called me "Shazam". Most of all, she should agree to meet me on the moon (referring to lyrics from the Fireball XL5 song I'd sing for him). I think I'll be signing off this site because I've met the woman that matches all of these qualities, and then some. I hope she says "yes"!!

In response to a request by my sister-in-law, Rebecca, to configure a list of our favorites for a wedding shower thing, Rob wrote:
Here is a little about our relationship:
we first kissed at my house while watching Don JUan DeMarco with Johnny Depp (how romantic, a movie about a gigolo!)
our "song" is Reason by Hoobastank. It played a lot on the radio when she came to Philly.
the first thing I ever made her was a peanut butter and jam sandwich.
her favorite food currently is banana protein powder and coconut oil (not really foods but don't tell her that) or most likely she would say blueberries
she hates popcorn
her taste in music, pop music is different than mine so I couldn't tell you the name of her favorite band (bkp - Then, my faves included Dido & Stereolab), she played a bunch of CD's for me but I don't think they were her fave.
she wanted to name her children Apollo and Athena at one point in life (I hope that has changed)
her best friend growing up was Kelly
I made her run the 'Rocky' stairs in at the Art Museum in Philadelphia when she was here (there should be a video of it)
at the zoo she loved the otters and if I remember correctly, the leopards? my favorite is the polar bear
composer I would say Bach, she thinks he is a genius
she loves to roller blade and run
I don't think she has a favorite movie (bkp - but I think Pink Panther with Steve Martin is really funny & I enjoy biopics such as Amazing Grace, Walk the Line...)
my favorite movie is A River Runs through it
my favorite food is hamburgers
my favorite temple is Salt Lake
I served a mission in Spokane, Wa

d'amrugayr HAMDURGER! (Rob could do the perfect impression of this scene!)

Sea To Sky & Beyond!

2008-03-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

...here is our proposal story given from my (Rob's) perspective. It is purposely cheesy at times.

...I hope I captured the spirit of the moment. Sometimes telling it is easier.

I had been planning this day for quite some time. I made dinner reservations at the Four Seasons Resort in Whistler, B.C. and asked Berit out on a date by making a video and sending it over email. Luckily she accepted the date and agreed to go! The road to Whistler is called “The Sea to Sky” Highway. How romantic!
What better road to take to the place where I was going to propose? Going to the sky. I like the symbolism and the sound. Before we left, Berit’s dad printed some information on a couple of waterfalls that we would pass along the way, The Shannon Falls and The Brandywine Falls. I thought to myself, “well one of those waterfalls might be a nice place to propose if the moment strikes me, we’ll wait and see.” “The Sea to Sky” (S2S) Highway is gorgeous. The Pacific Ocean and its inlets and bays borders the road on the West and the mountains rise straight up from the water on the East. When we arrived at Shannon Falls, it had been raining and we took a walk, a steep walk to the falls but didn’t really have a good view. The falls left no lasting impression. We then arrived at Brandywine and the rain was still coming down. It seemed we wouldn’t take the short hike to the falls. I quickly stalled. I drove around the parking lot and stopped at the trail head. Just then the sun came out and I luckily convinced her to take a walk to the waterfall which was about 500 m away. As we were walking down the wooded trail, the sun shone through the newly wetted trees and the water droplets sparkled. I started thinking that this could be a good opportunity. Then Berit made the comment that the air was so clean and was the freshest, most pure air she had ever breathed. She said it so emphatically. I really started thinking “this REALLY could be it!” I could feel the adrenaline pumping... I could feel the heat welling up in my body as the adrenaline rushed. Then we got to the falls -- if you can imagine a perfectly sculptured waterfall flowing, that is the Brandywine. A classic looking waterfall - a river flowing through a canyon and dropping unobstructed directly down into a pool of water below. A vast glacial valley lies below the falls and holds a crystal blue glacial lake. The fall itself looks like a Bridal Veil. The sun was shining, the air was pure and the beauty and power of nature preserved through countless ages was before us and the birds were singing--now was the moment! Except two annoying people were standing on the platform with us. Couldn’t they tell that I was just about to propose?! We were in no hurry because it was such a beautiful sight so I thought I would wait them out. I just stood there holding Berit waiting for a peaceful moment. Finally they were leaving, but I could see a literal swarm of teenagers descending upon us. They adversely possessed the platform for about ten minutes. Berit seemed unphased and I tried to act as cool as possible while the adrenalin was still rushing through me. Finally they left but I could see others approaching down the path, and it didn’t appear that the swarm would let up, so I saw my window of opportunity, carpe diem, and grabbed it. I took Berit in my arms, looked her in the eyes and said, “Berit, I love you very very much. I want to spend the rest of my life and eternity with you. Will you marry me?!” Without even breathing, she answered emphatically, “I will!” and I kissed her while the sun was still shining on the Sea to the Sky!

September 9, 2004.
Robert C. Price

Washington Spokane Mission

2008-03-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

Rob's father-in-Law

2008-03-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

I was grateful to see how wonderfully Rob bonded with my dad on several trips back and forth from Vancouver to Philly to SLC. One day while riding home from the DC Temple, Rob began an exaggerated impersonation of him, & was it ever so funny? I thought so! Here is what I was able to transcribe...
We often listened to our favorite Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto CD while driving to and from the temple. The performances below are great, we never tired of listening to it!

Rob's impression of GARRY ON SKYTRAINS
Garry: ...what they've got is a linear induction system.
Rob: Yeah, yeah, right there, I'm with ya... that's a beaut!
Garry: Yeah, they just put in duel argonaut fission catapult. You get that, all you have to do is generate 1.21 Gigawatt's & install a flex capacitor & there you go.
Rob: Did they ever think of just installing a frictionless electro magnetic rail system like the Japanese bullet train?
Garry: That's what it is! What don't you understand? I just said that.
Rob: (uh oh...I've just lost all credibility) Sooo... lets get back to that bathroom. I understand you had to dig up some floor to run a pipe thru the conduit.
Garry: Yeah, all ya gotta do is clamp off with a spigot, route that up & over, put in a duel manifold clearance drainage which of course has to be up to code. You run that central line out to the main bus B. Then just take that pipe, run it up & over the I-Beam, straighten it out w/ a Clausson wrench & there you go. Woila! Faucet.
Rob: There you go. Water.

GARRY ON FLIGHT:
The thrust ratio must be greater than the 2.75 L/D rectitude. Make sure the vectors are in line & the tachometer is greater than the longitudinal base average. Then you got flight. Don't know what took the Wright Bros. so long to figure it out.

GARRY ON COMPUTERS:
It's easy... you pixelate the mainframe with a JS 7. To do that all you gotta do is go to the dropdown where it says: W.INF.V8-ps. Click on the access point xyt. Double clk on the wrench icon in box type win.1.x-pp/:8 & there ya go! What's so hard about that? Just run that thru the C drive with the compression program that you access in the program files of the OS. The trick is to know the partitions in your PC before you do all this, so that the partimage will back up and restore to another mounted IDE drive. In your case I would issue the command "mount-t vfat/devhdd1/mnt."
Berit: Ok dad, so after I click on the wrench icon, what do I do again?
Garry: Geez! I just told ya...it's easy!

family portraits

2008-03-08T14:43:00.000-08:00

Tributes & Pictures

2008-03-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

Friday, February 8, 2008
Bishop Price
Early this morning, our bishop passed away. When Berit (his wife) called to tell the news, we were stunned and full of mixed emotions. Mentally and spiritually, Rob was a giant. He was incredibly smart, faithful, and so dedicated to the church and his calling. He was full of humility, had empathy for others, great kindness and had such gratitude for life. Unfortunately, his body constantly struggled to match the greatness of his spirit. Rob was dealt a body that has had to endure many challenging trials. He has been in and out of the hospital with different infections, surgeries, and was finally diagnosed with cancer just a few weeks ago. Through all of this, he has remained so strong and focused on getting better. He was constantly thinking of our ward and the ward members. Although it was so hard for him to communicate, he was just asking Berit about the youth in our ward hours before he passed away. Although we will selfishly miss him and the influence he has had on us personally, we know his spirit is finally free to learn, grow, serve and bless others on the other side, without the difficult constraints his body imposed in this life. There is no limit to the wonderful good Rob will achieve, for we know his work is not done.Equally amazing and inspiring through this difficult time has been Rob's wife Berit. She is incredible and has literally strengthened my testimony just by watching her example. Never have we met someone with such incredible and unflinching faith in God and in his plan of salvation. Never have we met someone who was so sure of and confident in the promises of a temple marriage. And, never have we talked to someone who so willingly and so unselfishly submitted their will to the Lord's. Berit's strength in this trying circumstance has been a great strength and example to us. Spencer and I keep questioning how can we not be strong and accept God's purpose for Rob's life when Berit has already done so...and she has from the beginning? I don't know the path that Berit's life will take her, but I pray that she will remain in my life. Although we will most likely be separated by distance, I know that I will never forget her faith in the gospel, her testimony of the plan of salvation, her devoted love for Rob, and her love for our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ. She is someone I aspire to be like.The true measure of a person's life is not counted in days. Rather in the way that they lived, the lives they touched, and the people they served. The life of Rob Price, therefore, was a long and rich life indeed. Thanks for touching our life and teaching us all you did. Bishop Price, we're going to miss you!
Posted by spenceandkath at 11:19 PM 6 comments

Fragile, so fragileFebruary 20th, 2008 by jamesnmartha
Just last week, we laid to a well deserved rest a good friend. Martha and I had only really gotten to know Rob, and his wife Berit, during the last couple of months. He was a good man, and his memory lives on. Death is a normal part of living. I realize that unmistakably immovable tenet of mortality. Sometimes, though, lives end a bit shorter than you would prefer. Rob’s flame vanished before we wanted his warmth to disappear. He was a young 38 years old, with a law practice, a doting wife and a recent call to serve as our bishop. Our bishop served in this position less than a year. Yet, his imprint can be seen throughout our congregation. I collected the thoughts of individuals from our ward to write a poem in his memory. While I will not share the prose in this post, I can say that for many people, he was a noble man of integrity and strength. While he will be missed, his memory lives on in our minds as a sweet companion, never to leave us. Rob suffered from genetic hemophilia, and disorders linked to it. He had been ill for some time. Amazingly, his wife of only 3 years, Berit, stuck with him through the ordeal. She had known he was sick when she married him, yet when her parents questioned her desire to be seal to someone in Rob’s condition, her response was “I would rather spend one day married to him, than an entire lifetime without him!” Her courage and fortitude continue to inspire us on through the rapids of chaos known as life. And Rob? He has now joined his mother and brother, both of whom passed on after traveling the same path. May he now serve in peace. (picture: Rob, Berit & Martha Aston)

3 Responses to “Fragile, so fragile”
By Craig Price on Feb 25, 2008 Reply
I love that you have done this. I love that you loved such a wonderful brother. I am very proud that he was my brother, he loved Philly and the people. you are good people and good friends to him and berit. thank you for all that you have done and continue to do.peace be with both of you.alwaysloveCraig,Shauna, Parker, Cameron, Avery

Comfort in the Resurrection

2008-03-08T13:38:00.000-08:00

This is the talk I had the joy of giving on Easter Sunday:

Pres. Hinckley said: “There would be no Christmas if there was no Easter!” I rejoice knowing that, 3 days after the atonement, on that first Easter morning, the tomb was emptied!

I enjoy serving as a counselor in primary. I especially love the voices of the primary children as they sing the simple messages of the gospel. Beautiful and simple are the passages in the primary songbook, such as “He sent His son to Die for us, & rise with living breath!”

We as a ward and I as an individual have had much cause for reflection on these things with the recent passing of our beloved Prophet, President Hinckley, shortly followed by the seemingly premature passing of our Bishop & my beloved husband, Robert Price. We have done as in Mosiah, 18:9, having mourned together, paid tribute, honored, comforted one another… and foremost, we rejoiced together in the hope on our Savior’s light-giving life. (life-giving light?)

The source of the comforts and strength we have given eachother, is the Holy Ghost. As we have fasted and prayed collectively, & as individuals, I have truly felt it poured out upon me. The lyrics of this joyful piece “Let Peace Then Still the Strife” sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, eloquently express this deep comfort from on high:
Then sing, beloved ones, Reach o’er the summer sea, Pour forth thy boundless love for us living! Sweep into ev’ry soul, Make music of our tears, Turn all our songs to joy and thanksgiving! And when we silent pass, From far across the sea, Let praises ring for life’s wond’rous blessing! Then sing ye living souls! Sing generations past, Swell high the tide of life, us refreshing! (I love the last part about generations past, as we turn our hearts to our Fathers in the Spirit of Elijah remembering we need our ancestral family as much as they need us as we help to redeem them in the temples.) Malachi 4:5-6
5 ¶ Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful eday of the Lord:
6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

I love Easter time as we celebrate the resurrected Savior who enabled us (if we so will and order our lives) to claim this sentiment: O Death, where is thy STING? O grave, where is thy victory? (1 Cor 15:55)

In this fulness of time, we are privileged & blessed to know some plain and precious truths of the Resurrection. Generally speaking, the world understands neither the necessity nor the benefits of a literal resurrection. Certain great men such as Tolstoy even recognized these great teachings we are blessed to have.(I found this as I was looking through a file of Rob’s favorite quotes) While talking to an American dignitary named Dr. White, in Russia 1892, he asked him to tell about their American religion, to which Dr. White replied “we have no state church in America, we’re free to belong to whatever church we wish.” Tolstoy then replied:
I know all of this, but I want to know about the American religion.commonly known as the Mormon Church. What can you tell me of the teachings of the Mormons? Their principles teach the people not only of heaven and its attendant glories… If Mormonism is able to endure, unmodified, until it reaches the third and fourth generation, it is destined to become the greatest power the world has ever known.”
The Savior’s Resurrection is central to what the prophets have called “the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death” (2 Ne. 11:5).
The resurrection is so BASIC to the gospel of Jesus Christ that whenever the gospel was taught on this earth by true Prophet’s, the RESURRECTION of Jesus and of all mankind was always vigorously proclaimed. The gospel would not be the gospel and Christ would not be Christ if there were not a resurrection: The Prophet Joseph Smith said that the resurrection of Christ is the center point of hope and Paul as well as Mormon proclaimed that the sting of death and the hollow victory of the grave is swallowed up by the victory of Jesus Christ. Paraphrasing Paul back in 1 Cor 15, he said:
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is(1) our preaching vain, and (2) your faith is also vain.
15 … and we are found (3) false witnesses of God;
17 And if Christ be not raised, …(4)ye are yet in your sins.
18 (and last, when we think of those whom we love and whom we have buried, fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, children and grandparents, friends and family)…then they also which are (5)fallen asleep in Christ are aperished. It is fundamental that Jesus was raised from the dead.
19 If in this alife only we have bhope in Christ (in other words, a good man, Jesus, who loved the poor, who took care of the sick, who reached out to women and children… if it’s just a good man…) we are of all men most miserable. Because, we put our lives in jeopardy, sending our children and our parents and ourselves on missions, giving of our tithes and offerings, giving countless hours of service. If we’re simply recognizing the life of a good person, why sacrifice this way? Why put our lives in jeopardy?
Paul then says:
20 But now is aChrist brisen from the dead, and become the cfirstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came adeath, by man came also the bresurrection of the dead.
22 For as in aAdam all bdie, even so in cChrist shall all be made dalive.

I love the testimony uttered by President Hunter:
The doctrine of the resurrection is the single most fundamental and crucial doctrine in the Christian religion. It cannot be over-emphasized nor can it be disregarded. Without the resurrection, the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes a litany of wise sayings and seemingly unexplainable miracles with no ultimate triumph. No, the ultimate triumph is in the ultimate miracle, Jesus’ triumph over spiritual and physical death is the good news every Christian tongue should speak.”

Joseph Fielding Smith said: The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and
. . . all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it” (Teachings of the Prophet JS, sel. JF Smith [1938], 121).

One of the plain and precious truths restored to this dispensation is that “the spirit and the body are the soul of man,” (D&C 88:15) and that when the spirit and body are separated, men and women “cannot receive a fullness of joy” (D&C93:34).
Jeffrey R. Holland taught this:
The body is fundamentally important to the plan of salvation. This is the body given us, and it will be resurrected (according to the glory we’ve obtained to) and will serve us through the eternities. How vital and central is the body; this is why sin is a serious matter (unless properly repented of) as it is the automatic consequence of spiritual death (death means separation: physical death is the separation of body and spirit, and in spiritual death, it means separation of our Soul {or both our spirit & body} from God). This is why the resurrection of the body is so central to the great abiding and eternal triumph of Christ’s atonement.
With the fulness of the gospel on the earth, we are again privileged to know these truths about the body. Joseph Smith taught:
We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it pure before God in the Celestial Kingdom. The great principle of happiness consists in having a body. The Devil has no body, and herein is his punishment. (The Words of Joseph Smith, ed. Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook [1980], 60).

We do not have to be included in a herd of demonically possessed swine charging down the Gadarene slopes toward the sea to understand that a body is the great prize of mortal life, and that even a pig’s will do for those frenzied spirits that rebelled, in their first, unembodied estate; and to this day, remain bodiless.
…It is peculiar to the theology of the LDS that we regard the body as an essential part of the soul…Nowhere [in Christianity], outside of the Church of Jesus Christ, is the solemn and eternal truth taught that the soul of man is the body and the spirit combined.
We are not our own. For as spoken in 1 Cor 6:13, 15, “ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Paul understood that doctrine of the soul every bit as well as James E. Talmage did, because it is gospel truth. The purchase price for our fullness of joy – body and spirit eternally united – is the pure and innocent blood of the Savior of this world. We cannot say “Well, it’s my life,” or “It’s my body.” It is not. “Ye are not your own,” Paul said. “Ye are bought with a price.” Personal purity is important, or else our very souls are at stake.

We are privileged, as taught by Brigham Young, to know this:
that God is a person of tabernacle, possessing in an infinitely higher degree all the perfections and qualifications of his mortal children. We believe that he made Adam after his own image and likeness, as Moses testifies; and in this belief we differ from the professedly Christian world, who declare that “His center is everywhere, but his circumference is nowhere.” Their God has no body nor parts; our God possesses a body and parts, and was heard by Adam and Eve Walking in the garden in the cool of the day (Brigham Young, JD 10:230-231).

Brigham Young also taught:
for since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive... And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam (the name Adam is translated to mean ‘man’) was made a spirit" (1 Cor. 15, see also Romans 5:19, Luke 3:38). In essence the second Adam (man) undid what the first Adam did. One was the father of us through mortality, and the second, the Father of us all through his atonement and resurrection.

Due to this fullness of knowledge restored to us, President Woodruff said this:
the Lord looks to nobody else, he expects nothing from anybody else, as far as the fulfilling of the revelations in the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants are concerned; he looks to no other nation, kindred, tongue, or people henceforth to go and perform this work, but the Saints of the living God. If the Lord has any friends on the earth they are the Saints of God, and if the Saints of God have any friends anywhere, they consist of the God of Israel and the heavenly hosts, and the spirits of just men made perfect.

Baptism – similitude of resurrection as we perform Baptism by Immersion! We then go forward as Savior’s on Mt. Zion and help to redeem our own dead. Dallin H. Oaks puts it beautifully when he says:
We are living in a glorious season of temple building. This is also a consequence of our faith in the resurrection. Just a few months ago I was privileged to accompany President Hinckley to the dedication of a new temple. In that sacred setting I heard him say:
“Temples stand as a witness of our conviction of immortality. Our temples are concerned with life beyond the grave. For example, there is no need for marriage in the temple if we were only concerned with being married for the period of our mortal lives.”
Elder Oaks continued:
This prophetic teaching enlarged my understanding. Our temples are living, working testimonies to our faith in the reality of the resurrection. They provide the sacred settings where living proxies can perform all of the necessary ordinances of mortal life in behalf of those who live in the world of the spirits. None of this would be meaningful if we did not have the assurance of universal immortality and the opportunity for eternal life because of the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Because we believe the Bible and Book of Mormon descriptions of the literal Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we also readily accept the numerous scriptural teachings that a similar resurrection will come to all mortals who have ever lived upon this earth (see 1 Cor. 15:22; 2 Ne. 9:22; Hel. 14:17; Morm. 9:13; D&C 29:26; D&C 76:39, 42-44). As Jesus taught, “Because I live, ye shall live also” (John 14:19).
The literal and universal nature of the resurrection is vividly expanded upon and described in the Book of Mormon. The prophet Amulek taught:
“The death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death.
“The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; ...
“Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame” (Alma 11:42-44).
Alma also taught that in the resurrection “all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame” (Alma 40:23).
The assurance of resurrection also gives us a powerful incentive to keep the commandments of God during our mortal lives. Resurrection is much more than merely reuniting a spirit to a body held captive by the grave. We know from the Book of Mormon that the resurrection is a restoration that brings back “carnal for carnal” and “good for that which is good” (Alma 41:13; see also Alma 41:2-4 and Hel. 14:31). The prophet Amulek taught, “That same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world” (Alma 34:34 {I am just hopping around Alma}). As a result, when persons leave this life and go on to the next, “they who are righteous shall be righteous still” (2 Ne. 9:16), and “whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life … will rise with us in the resurrection” (D&C 130:18).
In the Book of Mormon, it also makes clear that:
The principle of restoration also means that persons who are not righteous in mortal life will not rise up righteous in the resurrection (see 2 Ne. 9:16; 1 Cor. 15:35-44; D&C 88:27-32). Moreover, unless our mortal sins have been cleansed and blotted out by repentance and forgiveness (see Alma 5:21; 2 Ne. 9:45-46; D&C 58:42), we will be resurrected with a “bright recollection” (Alma 11:43) and a “perfect knowledge of all of our guilt, and our uncleanness” (2 Ne. 9:14; see also Alma 5:18). The seriousness of that reality is emphasized by the many scriptures suggesting that the resurrection is followed immediately by the Final Judgment (see 2 Ne. 9:15, 22; Mosiah 26:25; Alma 11:43-44; Alma 42:23; Morm. 7:6; Morm. 9:13-14). Truly, “this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God” (Alma 34:32).
In addition to the Biblical witnesses of our Resurrected Savior, Latter-day Saints have additional witnesses. One is found in the Book of Mormon, a record containing the ministry of the resurrected Christ upon the American continent after his death and resurrection in Jerusalem, as accounted in 3 Nephi, 11.-26.
He stretched forth his hand and said, “Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.” (3 Ne. 11:10.) And he invited the multitude: “Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.” (3 Ne. 11:14.)
The testimony of modern witnesses is also recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants. The Prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon testified:
“And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!
“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—
“That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.” (D&C 76:22–24.)

The resurrection of Jesus is one of the greatest messages of all Christianity. It is a divine gift of the Atonement for all mankind. The “lively hope” we are given by the resurrection is our conviction that death is not the conclusion of our identity but merely a necessary step in the destined transition from mortality to immortality. This hope changes the whole perspective of mortal life:
-peace our bodies will reunite with our spirits.
-motivate us to obey the commandments to return to God’s presence
-comfort when someone we love dies, he or she will one day live again.
Also, it is a comfort to know that all who have been disadvantaged in life from birth defects, from mortal injuries, from disease, or from the natural deterioration of old age will be resurrected in “proper and perfect frame.” I often get exhausted just thinking of the things Rob & I are making plans for when his physical body is restored to it's perfect frame, esp. his fused knee! I am exhausted just thinking of it! The assurance of resurrection and immortality affects how we look on the physical challenges of mortality, how we live our mortal lives, and how we relate to those around us.
The assurance that the resurrection will include an opportunity to be with our family members—husband, wife, parents, brothers and sisters, children, and grandchildren—is a powerful encouragement for us to fulfill our family responsibilities in mortality. It helps us live together in love in this life in anticipation of joyful reunions and associations in the next.
Our sure knowledge of a resurrection to immortality also gives us the courage to face our own death—even a death that we might call premature. Thus, the people of Ammon (Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s of King Lamoni from land of Ishmael) in the Book of Mormon had this perspective: “And they did look upon shedding the blood of their brethren with the greatest abhorrence; and they never could be prevailed upon to take up arms against their brethren; and they never did look upon death with any degree of terror, for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection; therefore, death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it. ” (Alma 27:28).
Mormon funerals are typically marked by an atmosphere of hopefulness and peace. They generally are not burdened by the inconsolable grief and despair so often seen in other funerals... Regarding the undaunted way in which LDS confront death, Harold Bloom (a well known literary scholar) stated:
Of all religions that I know, the one that most vehemently and persuasively defies and denies the reality of death is the original Mormonism of the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator Joseph Smith.
Most important, this affirmation of life in the face of death arises from faith in God’s abundant mercy. Joseph Smith taught that God is “more liberal in His views, and boundless in His mercies and blessings, than we are ready to believe or receive.” It is on such a foundation that the fears of death can be reconciled with the hopes of life.
The assurance of immortality also helps us bear the mortal separations involved in the death of our loved ones. Every one of us has wept at a death, grieved through a funeral, or stood in pain at a graveside. I am surely one who has. We should all praise our Heavenly Father and Savior for the assured resurrection that makes our mortal separations temporary and gives us the hope and strength to carry on!!
How grateful I am for the hope I have in the resurrection, especially in light of the recent past events of my life. Where before I felt deep gratitude, I now have great cause to truly shout for joy! I so testify of the reality of the resurrection in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

quotes Rob scribbled down

2008-03-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

Funeral Program

2008-03-08T11:07:00.000-08:00