Another day closer to our family

This is part of my trip to Alabama.

Welcome to Georgia!



Looking downstream on the Tennessee River from the Highway 156 bridge. That is Lookout Mountain in the background.



Looking upstream on the Tennessee River from the Highway 156 bridge.



The Highway 156 bridge over the Tennessee Bridge. Stevie, you would hate it.



Welcome to Alabama!



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Came home from work at 8 a.m., checked to make sure no strangers were sitting in the driveway with their car alarms blaring, and tried to lay down. Of course, I could not. One mid kills me. So I rode many miles. Then I watched TV. I had bought a salad at Ingles last night for dinner, and it was partially wilted. Oh, well. I ate half of it and it was not palatable so I chucked it. Now I have, shall we say, gastrointestinal difficulties. Hey, at least it's making me lose some weight, right?

I rode later today, too, many more miles. Now I'm near the Montana border at Fairview, ND for 2,150 miles total.

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Testimony of Joseph Smith, continued

“He had on a loose robe of most exquisite whiteness. It was a whiteness beyond anything earthly I had ever seen; nor do I believe that any earthly thing could be made to appear so exceedingly white and brilliant. His hands were naked, and his arms also, a little above the wrists; so, also, were his feet naked, as were his legs, a little above the ankles. His head and neck were also bare. I could discover that he had no other clothing on but this robe, as it was open, so that I could see into his bosom. Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but his whole person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like lightning. The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon him, I was afraid; but the fear soon left me. He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.“

The things that strike me are the utter boringness of the description. C’mon. Give me a break. I’m not being disrespectful. I’m being matter of fact. A fraud and con artist would be much more flamboyant in his description of an angel. All Joseph says about him is that he had on a robe so white that probably nothing on earth could be so white. No wings, no halos, no flying around the room, no antics. He was modestly dressed, in that his robe was simple, it extended to mid forearm, and to just below mid-calf. It was open a bit at the chest and Joseph could see his chest a bit. I am personally glad for this. Should I ever get to this point in eternity, I know that I will not be wearing a white shirt and tie with a tight collar. I like that. I like it very much.

Also, his face and body shone with glory, which got brighter the closer it got to his person. Of course, you’d be afraid. Paul was afraid. Moses was afraid. Peter was afraid. James and John were afraid. Nothing odd here. In fact, it all smacks of being very straightforward and a little staid for the taste of people who are looking for falsehoods or sensationalism. His announcing his mission is expected, but I would think that announcing his name is a bit unusual, unless you realize that later on, this would matter very much. Also, typical frauds such as you see on television today, and I will refrain from naming names, but several come to mind easily, will tell you how much they are doing God’s work and how important they are to it, and that you must look to them for guidance and send money and touch the TV screen, etc. It becomes as much about themselves as about God, if not more. But Moroni tells Joseph that he’s not only going to do God’s work and be spoken very well of, but that he would also be hated everywhere in the world. He would be loved and hated among all nations, families (kindreds), and languages (tongues). What televangelist would say such a thing?