Symmetry in Worship

Tabernacle in the wilderness


Endowment House - Salt Lake City

The physical facilities department of the Church exists, in part, to provide Church facilities that help bring souls unto Christ. How do our buildings do this? At face value, *any* building that provides shelter from the elements can help bring us to Christ. Joseph Smith's Red Brick Store, the Endowment House, the Israelite Tabernacle in the wilderness - no more than a tent - all provide examples of simple structures erected to provide ordinances and bring others to Christ. If these structures are sufficient, why do we need more?


LDS Chapel - Pacific


LDS Chapel - Pacific

At the other spectrum, our temples seek to be the best built, with the best materials, with not a vase or piece of artwork out of place. But many other buildings offer the same luxuries. There are buildings all over the world that use the best materials and craftsmanship. High-end homes, hotels, and retail are a few examples of buildings that often equal or exceed what we would call temple quality. So what is unique about our buildings that others could not provide for us? How do they stand out in a way others can't or don't? A common answer will be that our buildings are dedicated, through prayer, for a different purpose from other buildings. And they are. But the real answer to this question has to be something tangible – part of the building itself. In built form, how are they different? Our buildings can act as a tool to help increase faith and to teach the doctrines of the restored gospel. Similar to President Kimball’s call for the artistic representation of Mormonism, I feel that we have yet to truly represent ourselves in built form.

"We are proud of the artistic heritage that the Church has brought to us from its earliest beginnings, but the full story of Mormonism has never yet been written nor painted nor sculpted nor spoken. It remains for inspired hearts and talented fingers yet to reveal themselves. They must be faithful, inspired, active Church members to give life and feeling and true perspective to a subject so worthy.” “God expects Zion to become the praise and glory of the whole earth, so that kings hearing of her fame will come and gaze upon her glory…” (Spencer W Kimball)

He excluded buildings from his list, which may provide some insight into our current ‘function-heavy’ state of buildings in the Church. But the reality is our places of worship have the potential to provide arguably the best forum for sharing the story of who we are. Speaking of the Salt Lake Temple, President Hinckley said, "They [the architects] recognized that they were not simply constructing another building. They knew they were creating a temple of God." (source) Building practices and techniques are different now. For all intents and purposes, today we construct temples and chapels the same as other buildings. Temples are high-end commercial buildings and chapels are large residential buildings. Again I ask: how can we distinguish today a temple or chapel from another building?

Symmetry and asymmetry provide one potential answer.


Plan sketch of Cardston Alberta Temple by GMA with four reflective axes converging on the baptistery and Celestial room above

What is symmetry and why is it important? One definition is an attempt to achieve balance, proportionality, beauty or perfection. This reflects our desire for order and perfection in life. We see examples of symmetry all around us. There are many religious symbols of symmetry - a beehive, a cross, the star of David, a steeple, the sun, or a full moon. Reflective symmetry is the most easily recognizable form of symmetry and the most often used in LDS buildings. This involves utilizing at least one major axis and reflecting the objects to the other side of the axis. I have only found one LDS Temple (Manhattan New York) that did not use reflective symmetry in the design of the building; all the others do. Also, many LDS chapels use reflective symmetry.

Reflective symmetry in a building finds its literary equivalent in scriptural chiasmus. One of the best examples is found in Alma 36. Here Christ is the unchanging axis of reflection at the center of the scripture. Applying Alma 36 to our buildings forces us to ask - how is Christ at the center? How does He cause a transformation within? What does He change and how is that change reflected in the building? If incorporated into the design, this can be a powerful tool to infuse meaning into our spaces of worship. But real change is not possible under the rigor of reflective symmetry. If both sides of the coin are the same, the discussion is pretty much over. Reflection is symmetry for the masses - easily achievable and easily understood. It is also the most basic. We have to move beyond this to get to the real meaning of symmetry and what can make our buildings unique.



A broader and more engaging definition of symmetry is the transformation of an object with at least one property remaining constant. This opens the door to many new possibilities. Symmetry is never perfect - there are never all properties remaining constant - it wouldn't be a transformation then. Therefore, what is dis-similar becomes the most important part uniquely positioned as different. Looking at DaVinci’s Vitruvian man shows the ideal of perfection sought with a perfectly proportioned human body shown. What it fails to account for is the asymmetry of the internal organs, such as the heart - off center and only to one side of the body. This places the heart in a unique position, standing out from the rest, as to importance in sustaining life.



"Objects and phenomena around us show signs both of symmetry and its lack at the same time. In reality, a thing is symmetrical in one or more aspects. In other words, it conserves one or more of its properties under a particular transformation, (such as a reflection or a rotation), while it is asymmetrical in other aspects: that is, its other properties are not conserved. There is no perfect symmetry (when all properties are preserved) and no perfect asymmetry (when no single property is preserved)." (source)

So while Alma 36 is perfectly reflected internally, the position of the story in context of the Book of Mormon is not at the exact center, but slightly off center. Similarly the position of the heart in our body is not at the exact center, but slightly off center. Looking at several of our temples will provide similar examples. In the case of the Orlando and Helsinki temples, the baptistery is placed off axis. Located as an object within an otherwise symmetrical building, the baptistery becomes the lifeblood, or heart, of the building. The plan tells us the baptistery is more important than the other spaces. It is out of place and therefore set apart for a special purpose within the context of order, rigor, and sameness. Some transformation shifted it off axis. As the heart of the Temple, the baptism of our deceased ancestors provides life and salvation for us and for them. As Joseph Smith taught, "Those Saints who neglect it in behalf of their deceased relatives, do it at the peril of their own salvation." (TPJS, p. 193) In this way, even the Celestial room, by remaining on axis, is overlooked and blends in with the other symmetrical spaces.


Plan sketch of Orlando Temple by GMA showing baptistery as heart of building off both axes


Plan sketch of Helsinki Temple by GMA showing baptistery as heart of building off the axis

Applying this broader definition of symmetry to our spiritual lives places us as the object being transformed. A conversion is a spiritual symmetry, transforming from the 'natural' person to one born of God. This creates a perfect, new creation - beautiful and full of balance. A new person. Pulling important spaces off axis is one way our temples and places of worship assist us in this sometimes painful and wrenching transformation as we learn of God and participate in saving ordinances. In this way, perfect reflective symmetry is actually the opposite of conversion because if both sides of the reflection are the same, there is no change. The spiritual transformation we want of ourselves is not an exact replica of who we are, but a transformation that changes us into something better. This could be seen in the building as we symbolically progress through our mortal existence, as shown in the examples at Orlando and Helsinki. Other examples could involve a transformation through movement and progression.


Pablo Picasso. Nude on a Beach

Another type of symmetry was explored by the cubist painters and expands on the concept of a transformed object with a property remaining constant. The cubist painting seen above offers multiple viewpoints of the object while maintaining a fixed vanishing point. This allows us to see individual details of an object from different directions. Here we are seeing the woman from three vantage points at once. This type of symmetry is more than a simple balance in our lives. Holding the same end in a fixed state provides a symmetry of how God sees us - seeing all of a person at once - a true representation of who we really are, and what we have become. A place of worship could provide us a glimpse into such a world of how God sees us and how God views us as a complete person. Using this approach, one possible solution to a representation of heaven, would be to think of the Celestial room as the fixed vanishing point in a painting, similar to the example above. Gods' view of us is all-encompassing at once, therefore the Celestial room could provide multiple layered views of the individual progressing through life. Glimpses into the previous spaces traveled in the Temple would be provided, layered and juxtaposed to provide a complete timeline or picture of mortality, all from a single vantage point. We are then more easily able to recognize who we have become and where we have traveled, seeing our lives in an eternal context as God does.

This is an example of Symmetry in Worship.
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LDS CHQ at the COB: A sampling of Church Acronyms

This is a little off topic for this blog, but working at the Church has opened my eyes to a whole new world of acronyms, almost unfathomable in scope, that even people who have worked here since Brigham Young's time joke about. If you don’t already know, you will soon see that the Church LOVES acronyms…

ACC – Area Controls Committee
ASH – Assembly Hall
AUD – Auditing Department
AVD – Audiovisual Department
BCM – Beehive Clothing
BCS – Bishops Central Storehouse
BFS – Budget and Financial Services Department
BHB – Beehive House
BIC –Born in the Covenant
BLCC – Boundary and Leadership Change Committee
BSH – Bishops Storehouse
BYC – Bishopric Youth Committee
BYP – Brigham Young Park
BYU – Brigham Young University
BYUH – BYU Hawaii
BYUI – BYU Idaho
BYUSC – BYU Salt Lake Center
BYX – BYU Continuing Education
CAB – Church Administration Building
CAC – Church Audiovisual Committee
CAD – Church Auditing Department
CCA – Conference Center Auditorium
CCB – Conference Center Building
CCC – Church Computer Center
CCN – Church Communications Network
CCS – Conference Center Studio
CCT – Conference Center Theater
CES – Church Educational System
CHL – Church History Library
CHQ – Church Headquarters
COB – Church Office Building
CODT – Council on the Disposition of the Tithes
COP – Corporation of the President
COR – Correlation Department
CPB – Corporation of the Presiding Bishop
CSD – Church Security Department
CTR – Choose the Right
CUR – Curriculum Department
CWS – Welfare Square Cannery
D&C – Doctrine and Covenants
DCB – Distribution Center Building
DFCU – Deseret First Credit Union
DGS – Deseret Grain Storage
DI – Deseret Industries
DNB – Deseret News Building
DTA – Director of Temporal Affairs
EFY – Especially for Youth
EGT – Eagle Gate Tower
EQP – Elders Quorum President
FCH – Family and Church History Department
FHC – Family History Center
FHD – Family History Department
FHE – Family Home Evening
FHL – Family History Library
FMAT – Facilities Management Automated Tools
FRD – Finance and Records Department
GAO – General Authority Offices
GMF – General Missionary Fund
GMRV - Granite Mountain Records Vault
GSD – Global Service Desk
GWC – General Welfare Committee
HCB – Humanitarian Center Building
HPGL – High Priests Group Leader
HRC – Human Resource Committee
HTSC – Hotel Temple Square Corporation
IGI – International Genealogical Index
IPD – Investment Properties Department
JSMB – Joseph Smith Memorial Building
LDS – Latter Day Saints
LBSBC – LDS Business College
LDSP – LDS Philanthropies
LDSFS – LDS Family Services
LDSHC – LDS Humanitarian Center
LHB – Lion House Building
MCH – Museum of Church History and Art
MCHX – Museum Annex
MD – Missionary Department
MEC – Missionary Executive Council
MIA – Mutual Improvement Association
MO – Mission Office
MPS – Motion Picture Studio
MTC – Mormon Tabernacle Choir
MTC – Missionary Training Center
NCP – New Church Plaza
NOB – North Office Building
NVC – Visitors Center North
OFP – Office of the First Presidency
OGC – Office of General Counsel Department
OPB – Office of the Presiding Bishopric
OPR – Office of the President
OTS – Orchestra at Temple Square
PAC – Public Affairs Committee
PAD – Public Affairs Department
PAF – Personal Ancestral File
PBO – Presiding Bishopric Office
PEC – Priesthood Executive Council
PFAC – Physical Facilities Advisory Committee
PEF – Perpetual Education Fund
PFD – Physical Facilities Department
PLA – Priesthood Line of Authority
PPI – Personal Priesthood Interview
PRF – Pedigree Resource File
PST – Priesthood Department
QSV – Quorum of the Seventy
QTW – Quorum of the Twelve
RID – Research Information Division
RM – Return Missionary
RSB – Relief Society Building
SHP – Social Hall Plaza
SLC – Salt Lake City
SLT – Salt Lake Temple
SOTW – Savior of the World
SVC – Visitors Center South
TAB – Tabernacle
TCB – Triad Center Building
TCH – Tabernacle Choir Department
TDEC – Temple Department Executive Committee
TFHEC – Temple and Family History Executive Council
TFSC – Temple Facilities and Sites Committee
TPL – Temple Department
TRL – Translation Department
TSC – Temple Sites Committee
TSP – Temple Special Projects
TSQ – Temple Square
TVC – Temple View Center
WEL – Welfare Services Department
WFC – Welfare Finance Committee
WSQ – Welfare Square
YCM – Youth Committee Meeting
YMMA – Young Men Mutual Association
YWMA – Young Women Mutual Association
ZSC – Zion’s Security Corporation

Are there any others you can think of…?

There is an actual acronym finder on the Church Intranet, from which I found some of these. Believe me when I say there are MANY, MANY more. Others I added from my experience in the Church. And others are listed here. Some of the unusual or funny ones listed on the Church Intranet include:

CIA – Central Intelligence Agency (with an actual link to the CIA)
DMZ – Demilitarized Zone (with a link to Wikipedia)
DOT – Department of Transportation (with a link to UDOT)
ISA – International Society of Arboriculture (a worldwide professional organization dedicated to fostering a greater appreciation for trees)
LOL – laughing out loud
BTW – by the way
CD – compact disc
TLA – three letter acronym
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The Modern Traditional Draper Temple

I braved the unhealthy polluted Utah air this evening to visit the Draper Temple as part of the public open house. It was very well organized and not too crowded, which was enjoyable. The Temple is quite small in its footprint - very compact, but grand in its height, which seems especially appropriate nestled against the backdrop of mountains. These vertical and narrow proportions, a nice modern touch, were reflected in all the exterior massing and even in the Celestial room of the temple. This verticality was especially well represented in the windows and doors, giving us a strong and clear statement of the overall design with crisp rectangular shapes repeated at various scales.



Unfortunately this beautiful statement was in no way reflected in the other interior detailing and ornamentation of the temple. The coffered ceilings, gold leafing, rounding chandeliers, trim moulding pieces and decorative paneling all felt forced, as though from an entirely different building than that of the strong exterior massing, vertical proportionality, and window/door treatment previously described. In other words, based on the exterior, I would have expected a completely different interior, in both the shaping of space with ceilings and stairs down to the smallest details.



This unusual mixing of modern and traditional elements throughout the building left me in a limbo of sorts. The Draper temple says to me that it remains fully entrenched in tradition and the past, outwardly wants to be accepted and current, but is unsure of how these two can or should blend together. Clearly the past is important to us, and always will be, but at the same time we feel the need to move on as a people into the future of a new world. We have a foot in the past and a foot in the future, and both are pulling in opposite directions. So how does tradition co-exist with progress and change? The answer to this question based on the Draper temple could be summed up as 'awkwardly' or 'in a forced manner', which ends up being a reflection of our culture and the message we are sharing with the world.

Interestingly enough, after the tour, I was directed to the adjacent cultural hall where refreshments and formal presentations were set up. All the exhibits around the room were designed in a traditional manner with various shades of warm browns and crown mouldings except for the first, which utilized task lighting, glass panels, sleek metal frames, and a cool bright blue color palette. It was one of the most modern exhibits I have seen in an LDS church building, and like the temple just toured, stood out as inappropriately as the ornamentation did in an otherwise modern temple.

Successfully answering the question of how tradition should co-exist with modernity - in built form - can and will give us greater clarity into who we are as a people, where we are heading in the future, and I believe will ultimately lead people closer to our Creator.


Draper Utah Temple, Window by Altus Photo Design
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Pharos - the future of Material Selection

The Pharos Project acts as a 'nutrition label' for building materials. The mission of the Pharos Project is to establish an evaluation tool used by green building professionals and consumers to weigh product choices based on a uniform rating scale that is balanced in three key areas: Health and pollution, Environment and resources, Social and community. The goal is to harness the power of consumer choice to generate a materials economy that is open, fair, efficient, renewable, non-toxic, and self-reporting.

This type of unbiased knowledge-based assistance in building material selection will help designers and consumers make wise and informed choices. Finally we can easily and graphically look at the life-cycle effects of each product under consideration. Now we can know who the outreaching arm of our products is touching, from material extraction all the way to material disposal. Accountability such as this will help encourage companies to work towards a healthy balance in both environmental and social issues. In turn, this will create product transparency and help hold manufacturers responsible for their actions.


Health + Pollution
-IAQ and User Exposure
-High Hazard Toxics
-Global Warming
-Air Quality
-Water Quality

Environment + Resources
-Renewable Energy
-Embodied Water
-Solid Waste
-Renewable Materials Use
-Habitat
-Embodied Energy

Social + Community
-Occupational Health & Safety
-Consumer Health & Safety
-Fairness & Equity
-Community Relations
-Corporate Leadership



Graphic explanation:
1. The name Pharos has been given to the project for symbolic reasons. Pharos was a technological wonder of its age, the ingenuity of its lens construction inspiring contemporaries with the distance of its signal. Similarly, our Pharos will signal our ideals while providing reliable navigational aids even now while society remains lost at sea on materials policy.
2. The Lens will contain all impact-related information on the product related to the manufacturing or upstream phases of the products lifecycle.
3. The Sliding Bars will cover upstream or usage-phase information related to energy and water use, and allows people to gauge the relative performance of the product compared to others in its class.
4. Products Identifiers will identify the company's name and the specific product or model that is being rated.
5. Signal Issues section will cover a range of topics that are currently hot buttons and important features found in products today.
6. Made In section will state where the product was made, starting with the primary location (city and country) and all secondary (country only).
7. Contains section that lists all ingredients found in the product to be organized by component and in descending quantities.
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America & the Environment

Wow. I just finished watching the Inauguration on my DVR. Regardless of political persuasion, America's environmental future looks promising.

"Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age...and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet."

"For everywhere we look, there is work to be done...We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together...We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do."

"And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it."

(From Obama Inauguration Speech)
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A Prophet’s View

I spent much of yesterday inside the condo of the late President Hinckley. It will shortly be remodeled for President Monson to use. In a way, it was quite surreal to be in the rooms where the Hinckley’s slept, bathed, ate, entertained, and ultimately died. The room where I was surprisingly touched and drawn to the most was the master bedroom. According to KUTV News, it was here that President Hinckley was bedridden for the last four days of his life.



The views all around are spectacular. The layout of the President’s Office is such that there is a window on the side with a view of the State Capital and French doors in front of the desk with a view of the Temple. Apparently President Hinckley used to state that he would look to his right for taxation and he would look straight ahead for inspiration.
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Begging at the Temple

This morning I was approached by a homeless person in front of Temple Square asking for money. This experience reminded me of a trip to Temple Square many years ago when I was young and saw a sign on the wall near the entrance. The sign asked Temple-goers not to give money to the panhandlers on the street but rather to give to charitable organizations. After my experience this morning, I looked for the sign but was unable to find it. Regardless of a person’s view of the various ways of how best to help the poor and homeless, there seems to be something significant about a person coming to the Temple begging for help.

-In Acts we read of the story of the lame man who was carried each morning to the gate of the Temple in order to ask alms of them that entered into the Temple. (Acts 3:2) This beggar at the Temple asked the Apostle Peter for money. Peter responded saying he had no money but could offer a physical healing of his ailment. He did this and then entered the Temple with the man.

-The speech King Benjamin gave his people was at the Temple. They were living in tents around the Temple begging for a remission of their sins. With the building of the tower and all the burnt offerings performed, they were likely there for several days, if not longer. Camping there for so long, they probably looked pretty ragged, prompting Benjamin to refer to them as beggars. Here was a group of homeless beggars living in tents at the Temple. (Mosiah 2-4)

In similar ways all of us are beggars when we go to the Temple. Is there any distinction between someone coming to a Temple begging for alms versus someone begging for a remission of sins, versus someone begging for guidance from the Lord? Does it matter that some of the beggars remain on the outside of the Temple and some go inside?

Unless we are going for the first time, Temple work essentially involves a service to others; to those who have already lived and died. I find it interesting that we so easily pass the living beggars in the street in order to get into the Temple to help the beggars who have already died achieve salvation.

According to Malachi we rob God when we don’t pay tithing. And according to Nephi we rob the poor with our beautiful buildings and fine clothing (2 Ne 28:13). Ironically in the Church our most beautiful buildings are Temples and we wear our best clothing to attend. Does this change how we should approach or respond to the beggars we see at the Temple?
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Thank you Rush Limbaugh

The local news last night shared the story of the One World Everybody Eats Cafe in Salt Lake and how Rush Limbaugh attacked it during his show because they are a not-for-profit restaurant. It’s true the restaurant model is very different than others. They let people choose their own portions and then pay what they feel it’s worth. The vision statement includes goals of feeding and including all members of the community, only using organic unprocessed food, eliminating waste in the food industry, and ending world hunger. I simply ask – what is so wrong with this? You can choose not to eat there, but is there anything wrong with a place that has lofty ideals for bettering our community? He stated in his broadcast,

“I’m probably doing more for the One World Café than anybody possibly could. I’m sure there’s people in Salt Lake that listen to this program and despise me and hear me making fun of this humanitarian effort here that it’s an embarrassment to American business and they’re going to go flood the place now and make sure that it stays open. I’m giving them free advertising. They’ll probably overpay for what they’re getting…I doubt that. Liberals don’t go that far. They still want other people’s money to pay for what they do and what they get. But they’ll still stream in there to show a measure of support…” (Rush Limbaugh radio program 10 Nov 2008)

He’s right there. My curiosity was killing me so I had to try it out during lunch today. I thought the food was delicious and the service very friendly. Seeing as how Rush Limbaugh has never been there, I’m not sure how he can say the following,

“I don’t want [beef from Allen Brothers] wasted on a bunch of long-haired maggot-infested dope-smoking FM types walking in to the One World Café.” (Rush Limbaugh radio program 10 Nov 2008)

Interestingly, the idea for the restaurant began with an epiphany. Denise Cerreta developed the café to nourish both the body and the soul. She began the restaurant in 2003 and, “After a couple of months, and a lot of mental anguish, she had an encounter with the divine. She calls it inspiration from a higher power, her own ‘Field of Dreams’ experience, where she ‘just knew’ if she followed it, customers would come…It told her to get rid of her price board and cash register and let customers decide how much to pay for their food…‘I think we all have that ability’ to hear a prompting from a higher source. ‘But I don't think we listen to it.’” (source)

According to the Deseret News, the café doesn’t even do any type of advertising. “Her clientele has simply grown by word of mouth.” Why would she need to do any advertising when she has Rush Limbaugh advertising for her for free…so thanks for lunch Rush, I guess God really does move in mysterious ways…


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UTA is Encouraging Sprawl

Despite their best intentions, the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) is encouraging sprawl with the bus system they have in place. The culprit: Express and Fast buses. The past several months I have been using the Express Bus to get to and from Lehi each day. While I was the beneficiary of a fast bus with no stops and a relatively short commute for living so far away, I came to the realization that this approach to public transit is not in the best interest of the people of Utah.

UTA currently has twenty nine Express/Fast bus routes that come from the outer ring suburbs to the center while skipping the first and second ring suburbs. As a result, many transit commutes are shorter from the outer suburbs than from the inner suburbs. The current system says to me “UTA would rather have you live in Lehi than Sugarhouse.”

One solution is the approach Portland, Oregon uses which places Transit Centers at various locations of the inner suburbs. This allows people in the outer rings to catch a bus that takes them to the inner ring Transit Center. From there they transfer to a line that goes to the center, or downtown. This allows everyone to use transit but gives the penalty in time and transfers to those further out. It also gives more flexibility allowing people to get around at times other than commute times. Thirty nine of UTA’s bus routes currently only run during commute hours. This becomes very problematic when emergencies arise or people need to travel home at non-commute times.

1402 Blair St by Liberty Park – 23 minutes – 1 transfer – 2.69 miles
2378 Blaine Ave in SugarHouse – 47 minutes – 1 transfer – 5.84 miles
3846 Knudsen St in East Millcreek – 48 minutes – 1 transfer – 11.2 miles
3492 Sunnybrook Dr in West Valley – 44 minutes – 1 transfer – 11.31 miles
3528 Mystic Way in Magna – 51 minutes – 1 transfer – 15.08 miles
452 Stephanie Circle in Sandy – 57 minutes – 1 transfer – 15.81 miles
1186 N 500 W Lehi – 50 minutes – 0 transfers – 28.41 miles
378 N 100 E in Tooele – 1 hour 12 minutes – 0 transfers – 33.36 miles

For my unscientific study above, all addresses were chosen at random in various cities that UTA serves and had the same destination of 50 E North Temple. All used the same departure time of a weekday at 7:00am. The only randomly-chosen addresses that were excluded were those that UTA’s Trip Planner could not compute (more than 1/4 mile walking or more than 3 hours travel. Side note: it would be nice to have the option of increasing the walking portion of the Trip Planner to 1/2 mile.)

As you can see, a commute from SugarHouse is an equivalent time to a commute from Lehi or Magna. And since Lehi, Magna, and Tooele have no transfers, the commute is more desirable than Sugarhouse or East Millcreek since there are no transfers (who wants to get out in the snow multiple times?)

While this is only a small sampling, it shows that there are many locations that UTA serves where it is easier and faster to use public transit from living farther out rather than closer in. Is this really the message UTA wants to send? I don’t know about other people, but I used the UTA Trip Planner site more than any other site to aid in choosing which home to buy here in Utah. The Express/Fast bus system is telling people that you may have a shorter commute if you move out further. In spite of this critique, great improvements are being made with additional rail lines and transit options by UTA. With these upcoming changes, I just hope they will reconsider the current bus system and move towards a Transit Center approach.
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Loving our Stewardship

I heard this quote yesterday in Management Principles training and loved it. Especially when read in context of our stewardship with the earth and all living things thereon:

“No stewardship can be fully filled without divine direction. This involves study of the scriptures, the words of the living prophets, and calling upon the Lord for intelligence beyond your own…Under true stewardship there is no room for vain ambition, pettiness, or status seeking. One’s ambition is to serve the Lord and His kingdom first. Carelessness, mediocrity, feigned effort, or inconsistent performance have no place where true stewardship is manifest. Love is the motivating force—love for God and love for others.” President Ezra Taft Benson (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 381, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988.)

When I think about the beauty and the good that I see all around me in this world, it is refreshing to hear from a prophet that love is the motivator behind all stewardship. This Creation is the Savior’s stewardship, and love is His motivator in His dealings with the earth. As we learn about our individual stewardships regarding this planet, love will likewise motivate us to action.
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