The Provo Tabernacle

I'm sure most of you have already heard about the Provo Tabernacle. For those of you who haven't, and have no clue what I'm talking about, the Provo Tabernacle is a historic building in downtown Provo that was built in 1883 by the early members and pioneers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was an absolutely beautiful building that held so much history and memories. Church meetings, concerts, and city events were held in this building. When living in Provo, my apartment was just a few blocks away, allowing a good number of our meetings to be held there. In fact, Russ and I went to a church meeting at the tabernacle in one of the first few weeks we were dating (proof below). We had run into a friend of Russell's, who apparently texted Russ "predicting" we were going to get married. Russ of course didn't tell me that at the time... it would have freaked me out. But hey, he was right. (And can I take a moment to point out those amazing mountains? sigh.)

ANYWAY.... back to the point... I was shocked and sad to hear that the building burnt down early Friday morning. It will be a miracle if they can salvage it. This morning I read of a story about the "Second Coming" photo of Christ by Harry Anderson that partially survived the fire. The entire photo was burned except the middle, where "coincidentally" Christ is painted. I thought this story was inspiring and thought-provoking. I think I may have gotten a few goosebumps from this picture.

image via

You can read the article here.

Complete coincidence or not, isn't that amazing? Seeing this picture was a perfect way to start off our Sunday. I love Sundays and the opportunity we have to stop and reflect on everything we have to be grateful for, because we all know we do not stop to do it enough. This picture is a great reminder to keep Christ the center of Christmas. Wow.