Our short escape to see spring in February was delightful. Lisbon is the city I expected – beautiful, old, smiling people, and full of old stories.
While Lisa, our daughter, went on a School Discovery Week to Egypt, Elke and I used this time to see, to inhale, and to enjoy “Living History”.
How wonderful it is to be married – and not only for time on earth, but for eternity – to share the exceptional moments in life.
I am a happy man – my whole family is “in history”. We love to visit museums, to read books about world history, and to compare those times with ours.
Hopefully we excerpt the right principles in everything. As Arnold Toynbee, the famous American historian, once said that all of history can be written in a simple written formula – Challenge, Response!”
We couldn’t believe it – lemons on the tree – and a gentle wind enveloped our face. See the pictures and enjoy our exploring, on ways that were used by Cabral who explored Brazil, by Magalhaes who circumnavigated the earth the first, and by Henry the Navigator.
Lemons in Lisbon
Fascinating!
Mark L. Grover wrote in 1997, “Portugal is a country with a history of pioneers. In the 15th century, Portuguese ships began exploring beyond the known European world. A century later, Portugal had established its presence in many lands, particularly in Asia, Africa, and South America. The emigration of citizens from Portugal to these lands continued for hundreds of years.”
Lisbon's castle of St. George
Talking about exploring, I’d like to share what Elder Neal A. Maxwell [in “The Inexhaustible Gospel,” Ensign, Apr 1993, 68], explains what the true principles of EXPLORATION are, “Clearly in some situations, a few individuals in the Church unfortunately end up “looking beyond the mark,” missing the already obvious. (Jacob 4:14.) For these few individuals, exciting exploration is preferred to plodding implementation. Speculation and argumentation are more fun than consecration for these individuals. Some even try to soften the hard doctrines. What happens, however, is that by their not obeying, they lack knowing—the very knowing we are discussing today. (See John 7:17.) Thus, since they cannot defend the faith, a few of them become critics instead of defenders.
As far as salvational truths are concerned, therefore, the secular knowledge explosion in recent years—with all of its many and unarguable benefits to mankind—has not been a bang at all. This has been merely a whimper. It was the Restoration which provided the explosion of salvational knowledge.
I now hasten to add, having said these preliminary things, that the role of secular knowledge is very important. Latter-day Saints should have all the genuine excitement others have in the traditional adventure of learning, including learning secular truths, and we should have a little more. In fact, when we are so learning and so behaving, we are truly “about [our] Father’s business.” This should bring to us a special and genuine zest for learning. (Luke 2:49; see also 2 Ne. 9:29.)
Furthermore, those of us who have spent much of our lives involved with traditional education regard it as one of mankind’s most useful, productive, and cost-beneficial enterprises. It is even more beneficial, however, when it has the added spiritual dimension. Moreover, secular education wisely does not pretend to give us answers to the great “Why?” questions—any more than you and I would read a telephone directory in search of a plot.
Furthermore, our different frame of reference should never cause us to preen or to be insensitive to the uncertainty or despair some feel in the world precisely because they believe sincerely that man exists in “godless geometric space.”
As if speaking to this very point, the Prophet Joseph Smith observed: “Knowledge does away with darkness, suspense and doubt; for these cannot exist where knowledge is.
“There is no pain so awful as that of suspense.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 287–88.) Joseph, of course, was speaking about a particular kind of knowledge and pain.
Thus our view of education is the same as Jesus prescribed with regard to our other Christian duties: namely, the weightier matters should receive their deserved prominence, but without leaving the lesser learning chores undone. (See Matt. 23:23.)
The Prophet Joseph also observed, “If you wish to go where God is, you must be like God, or possess the principles which God possesses.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 216.) God possesses perfect knowledge, but He also possesses perfect love, purity, mercy, and so on. What a contrast He is with those mortals who are bright but bad and who are clever but carnal. Even genius without goodness can be dangerous.
No wonder, therefore, “to be learned is good if [we] harken” to the counsels of God instead of setting them aside, as if we have somehow outgrown them. (2 Ne. 9:29.) How can one ever outgrow Christ’s example of knowing, behaving, and doing? What happens, however, is that some easily fall into the trap described by Paul, when they are “ever learning” but “never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Tim. 3:7.) One might learn, for instance, a great deal about the physical characteristics of this planet earth, but yet be ignorant of why it was created in the first place. (See Isa. 45:18; 1 Ne. 17:36; Moses 1:33, 39.)” [end of quote]
There is a “real exploring” united with a “real education” when we open our eyes, mind, and heart to the Lord’s creation items, we find in secular education, but even more, when we study the scriptures consequently, and not only as a “quotation handbook”.
Lisbon has shown the horizon and the eagerness to explore the “core” in our life.
The Church office building in Moscow, December 2008. 
