Tyrannosaurus rex at the end of the Cretaceous

Tyrannosaurus rex lived in a time when many species of dinosaurs had already gone extinct.  T. rex was the last and biggest in a long line of tyrannosaurs.  T. rex had possibly the strongest bite of any species of animal ever to live on the Earth.  T. rex had a powerful sense of smell and could smell prey up to ten miles away.  T. rex also could see in high definition from a vantage point 18 feet (6 meters) up above the ground.  But things were looking grim at the end of the Cretaceous Period.  For a few million years the volcanic activity had gone up on Earth.  We can infer that sulfur dioxide was poisoning the atmosphere and killing off many of the species during the Late Cretaceous Period.  Carbon Dioxide would have been out gassing in many places as well.  Since CO2 is more dense than air T.rex's 18 foot tall height would have possibly protected it from suffocation from the CO2, whereas smaller or shorter dinosaurs would have suffocated and died.  CO2 is Carbon Dioxide and it can bind to the O2 or Oxygen receptors in animals' red blood cells.

Well, even with all those advantages T. rex could not survive the impact of a meteorite the size of Mt. Everest that hit what is now called the Yucatan Peninsula 65 million years ago.  In fact, there is some evidence of another, even larger impact in the Indian Ocean from the same time period. . . 65 million years ago.

Tyrannosaurus rex near a Volcano at the End of the Cretaceous

Doggy and Kitty for National Crayon Day

Today is Crayola National Crayon Day!

To celebrate I am doing a more traditional coloring page of a doggy and a kitty inside their home.
Enjoy coloring the drawing.  By the way, I love Crayola Crayons. They are the best!  NO they are not paying me to say this.  I loved the smell of a new box of crayons when I was a kid.  Then as a teacher, both in Elementary and Jr. High I continued to have crayons in my classroom.  Rose Art Crayons are also a good brand, but not quite as good as Crayola.

Joseph Smith and Brigham Young and the Restoration of Christ's Church

Note:  This entry is under construction...

Joseph Smith, lower right Listens to a Preacher

In the 1820 Joseph Smith was a 14 year old farm boy living in Upstate New York, The United States of America.  There were many religious revivals going on in the area where he lived.  He saw his members of his own family join different churches.  Joseph noticed that the different Christian churches taught different things.  He wanted to join the true church of Christ.  Joseph is in the lower right side of the picture.
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Joseph studying the Bible

So Joseph studied the Holy Bible and came across the following Scripture:
            "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God..."   James 1:5

Joseph Smith's First Vision

Joseph decided to go do as James suggested, and he got up early in the morning, in the Spring of 1820.  When he prayed he saw a light descending from Heaven and he saw two personages above him. One of them said, "Joseph, this is my Beloved Son, hear ye him."  Then Jesus explained to  Joseph that none of the churches were completely true, Jesus said that they had a form of Godliness but denied the power of God. He also told Joseph that he could be an instrument in the hand of God to restore the true Gospel of Christ.   (Paraphrased....See Joseph Smith, History)

The Angel Moroni Appears to Joseph Smith

 A few years later Joseph Smith was visited by an angel.  He was told that there was a book, written on golden plates, hidden in a hill near Joseph’s home.  This book was written by the people of God who had lived in the Americas many years before.  The angel’s name was Moroni.  Moroni had been the prophet that buried or hid the gold plates in the hill 1,400 years earlier.

Joseph Smith translates the Golden Plates

A few years later Joseph was given the golden plates in order to translate them.  The golden plates contained the record of God's people in the Americas.  It also tells of Jesus visiting them.  The record had been written by prophets somewhere in the Americas.

Jesus Visits His People in the Americas

The Golden Plates were translated into what is now called The Book of Mormon.  The Book of Mormon tells the story of Christ's people in the New World or the Americas.  It even tells of Jesus visiting them after His resurrection.  The Book of Mormon tells of how God loves His people wherever they are found.

 

John The Baptist Confers the Aaronic Priesthood on Joseph Smith & Oliver Cowdery

While translating the plates Joseph and his scribe, Oliver Cowdery, had questions about baptism.  When they went into the woods to pray and angel appeared to them.  The angel was the resurrected John the Baptist…the same John who had baptized his cousin Jesus.  John the Baptist gave Joseph and Oliver the Aaronic Priesthood or power and authority of God to baptize people.  John then told Joseph and Oliver to baptize each other.  

A few weeks later three of Jesus’ twelve apostles appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and gave them the Melchizedek Priesthood.  This higher priesthood gave them the power to give the Gift of the Holy Ghost and to bless the sick.   These two priesthoods, Aaronic and Melchizedek, have been passed down by others, Elder to Elder by ordination. 

With the two priesthoods and under the direction of God, Joseph Smith organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  This was Jesus Christ’s true church, restored to the Earth.  It had and still has the same priesthood, the same ordinances, and the same teachings as Christ’s church had back in Jerusalem and Europe around 1,700 years before.  That first church had fallen away from the truth. 

Joseph Smith Restores Christ's Church

With the two priesthoods and under the direction of God, Joseph Smith organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  This was Jesus Christ’s true church, restored to the Earth.  It had and still has the same priesthood, the same ordinances, and the same teachings as Christ’s church had back in Jerusalem and Europe around 1,700 years before.  That first church had fallen away from the truth. 

Elijah Appears to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to restore the sealing power.

A few years later, after a temple was built, the resurrected prophet Elijah appeared and restored the sealing power to Christ’s church.

This was the same Elijah who went to heaven in a fiery chariot.  So now a husband and wife and their children can be sealed in a temple for time and all eternity.  So they can live together, with our Heavenly Parents and our big Brother Jesus Christ forever.  

Wicked men persecuted the members of Christ's church.  In fact, Joseph Smith was killed by thoese wicked men and then the mantle of the Prophet fell upon Brigham Young.

  Brigham Young led the Saints to the Salt Lake Valley where they could all worship God without persecution.  They had to travel by covered wagon.  Many people, including children, walked nearly the whole way.  My Great Great Grandfather was in the first company that arrived in Salt Lake Valley, in fact, according to his journal, Amasa Mason Lyman was planting potatoes the day before the main body of Saints arrived with Brigham Young.

Pioneers Crossing the Plains and through the Valleys of Wyoming etc. 

When they arrived in the mountains above the Salt Lake Valley Brigham Young was sick.  He sat up in his wagon and knew that this was the place to build the Kingdom of God on Earth.  He said,

     "This is the right place, drive on."

Some groups of Saints who were converted in Europe crossed the plains with nothing but a handcart that they pulled the whole way.  One of my ancestors, Lucy Ward Cole, was with one of the groups of handcart pioneers who got caught in a snowstorm and had to be rescued.  I'll post that story with drawings on a later post.  

Handcart Pioneers Crossing the Plains

There are now many Temples, all over the world, where families can be sealed for time and all eternity.  When a couple gets married or sealed in the Temple their children belong to them in the eternities...in Heaven.  When a family joins the church later after they have children in the home, the couple can be sealed to each other and they can have their children sealed to them forever.  

A Family after being Sealed in God's Temple

All men and women will be resurrected, that is, they will get their bodies back in a glorified and perfected form.  The righteous will be resurrected when Jesus returns to Earth to rein in Peace for

1,000 years. The unrighteous will have to wait for the 1,000 years to end for their resurrection to happen.   I was thinking about all the soldiers, form many nations, that have died in wars and I know many of them were good people.  This includes some nurses as well.  This is why I drew this picture showing the resurrection of soldiers and nurses.  I don't know if they will be resurrected in their uniforms though.   

When Christ Returns the Righteous will be Resurrected. 

We will live with our Loved Ones Forever in the Celestial Kingdom. 

The Plan of Salvation shows that we lived with our Heavenly Parents in our premortal life or preexistence.  We were Spirit children of our Heavenly Parents.  Then, so we could become more like our Heavenly Father and Mother we came to Earth to gain a body.  Here on Earth we are tested to prove if we will be worthy to return one day to live with our Heavenly Parents.  When we are baptized we are on the road to that goal.  Getting sealed to our eternal companion (husband or wife) is also very important.  When we die our physical body is buried in the ground and our spirit goes to the Spirit World where we live in Paradise or Spirit Prison.  Spirit prison is where we learn about the Gospel if we never heard about it on Earth.  Part of Spirit Prison is where people who were wicked on Earth and never repented are punished for their evil deeds they did while alive on Earth.  If we repent of our sins and are baptized we go automatically to Paradise.  People who accept the Gospel in the Spirit World can have someone on Earth baptized for them.  Those baptisms are done in God's Temples.  When Christ returns again to Earth the righteous spirits will get their bodies back...they will be resurrected.
Then for 1,000 years Jesus will rein on Earth in peace.  After that the wicked will finally be resurrected.  Then everyone will go to live in a Kingdom of Glory, based on their acceptance of the Gospel, and their behavior choices they made.    The Celestial Kingdom is for those who made and kept their covenants with Heavenly Father.  They will live with their husband or wife and their righteous decendants for eternity as they learn and progress.  We call this Eternal Progression.  These very righteous people will one day become gods themselves and have Spirit Children of their own.

The people in the Terrestrial Kingdom will also be happy where they ended up.  They were good people.  They just did not accept the full Gospel of Christ when they were given the chance.  They will still be happy with their situation.

The people in the Telestial Kingdom will be satisfied by and large with their condition...even though it is the lowest kingdom.    It has those who had to pay the price for their own sins because they did not repent.  It will still be a Kingdom of Glory.

People who were VERY wicked will go to Outer Darkness...no glory at all.

So where you end up for eternity depends on your acceptance of the Gospel of Christ.  You must develop faith, repent of our sins, and  do our best to keep God's commandments (including baptism and going to God's Temple)  to go to the highest Kingdom of Glory.  

The Plan of Salvation, also known as The Plan of Happiness 

Unicorn and Squirrel Friend

Ulysses Unicorn is happy to see his friend Sammy Squirrel.  

It had been a long night and Ulysses had been under the weather.  So, Sammy brought him a daisy to cheer him up.  They met at sunrise in the valley, by the River Sparkle.  Magical animals can have great friendships with mortal animals, in fact, the magical animal passes on some magic to their mortal animal friend.  So, Sammy the Squirrel is smarter and he will live longer than other squirrels.  He also has come to appreciate flowers.  This is evidence of magical influence from his friend Ulysses the Unicorn.  

Kangaroo Rat

Kangaroo Rat cartoon

Kangaroo rats are amazing animals.  They never drink water.  They get all the water they ever need from the seeds that they eat.  They are native to North American deserts.  They are nocturnal animals...that is to say, they are active at night.  They hop just like the Australian kangaroos.  But they evolved this trait independently.  It is called convergent evolution.  They weigh or have a mass of between 70 and 170 grams, 2.5 to 6 ounces.

Another unusual feature is that they have fur lined cheek pouches.  .   . for storing seeds and nuts.  As you look at the drawing you will see that kangaroo rats have back legs that are much larger than their front legs.  As tiny as kangaroo rats are, they can leap up to 9 feet, 3 meters.

Kangaroo rats mostly eat seeds and nuts, however, they will also eat plants and even insects.  This means that they are omnivores, because they eat both animals and plants.   There are 20 species of kangaroo rats.  Some hide their food cache of seeds and nuts in their large burrow mound.  Others hide small caches of nuts and seeds near the source.

Kangaroo rats can freeze or hold completely still to blend in with their desert surroundings.  They do this to avoid being spotted by predators.  They are brownish tan in color with a white tummy and some white spots on some.  Their big eyes help them see at night when they are active.  Larger eyes give an animal more light gathering capability so they can see better at night.

Remember to color the sky a very dark color because kangaroo rats are active at night.

Kangaroo Rat realistic

Kangaroo Rat Photo

Gospel Pictures . . . New Testament (mostly) Newly Updated

The New Testament is the story of Jesus Christ and the establishment of His church.  It is also the story of His apostles and other ministers of the Gospel and their efforts to spread the word about Jesus.  This is a Latter Day Saint perspective.  I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I would hope that you would not be offended by me sharing my beliefs.  As I said before, I also recognize and respect other people's beliefs.

As a traditional Christian you may still find that most of these drawings coincide with your beliefs.

NOTE:  This post took a few days to complete,  My current health situation makes drawing to much and working at the computer for a long time very painful.  I got the pictures etc. posted as soon as I could.  I also had a death in my family.  My amazing Uncle Simon passed away.  Sorry about the delay.  Old Testament drawings were posted previously.  Scroll down to see them.

 ALSO:  I will get back to more coloring pages of modern animals, prehistoric mammals, pterodactyls, marine reptiles, dinosaurs, dragons, unicorns, etc. in a few days.  Also, so far, there are 117 drawings of animals to color from previous posts, just click on the Free Downloadable Coloring Pages button above.

An Angel announced the birth of Jesus
When Jesus was born the angels appeared to shepherds and told them where to find the baby Savior of the World.   There was also a new star in the sky.  

Jesus was born in a stable and his bed was a manger. 

 A manger is a place animal food is placed.   The holy family was turned away from the Inn.  Therefore Baby Jesus was born in a stable. 

Jesus and His mother Mary.  

A new star appeared in the sky the night Jesus was born.  Jesus was mortal because his mother was a mortal named Mary.    Notice the new star in the sky above the stable.  (This drawing was based on a photo of my daughter and her baby.)

Jesus was Baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist

We all need to be baptized too.  Jesus was setting an example for us to follow.  Baptism, through the atomement of Christ washes away our sins.  We can start over and try to live a better life.  

Jesus Called his 12 Apostles.  Some were fisherman. 

Jesus Teaching the People near Galilee

Jesus taught people in the Old World, near the Sea of Galilee and in and around Jerusalem.  He taught them to love one another, keep God's commandments, and to be baptized into His Church.  We believe that Jesus established His church with apostles and prophets etc.  He taught them to love God and to serve each other. 

Jesus Healed the sick
Because He was the Son of God Jesus had the power to heal the sick.

Jesus loved the children.

Jesus said, Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.  Mark 10:14

Jesus Greets a Little Boy

Jesus also said, Jesus also said, “…Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 18:3

Jesus suffered for our sins. 

Jesus began his atonement for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane.   He not only suffered for everyone's sins, he can now understand how we feel in our trials.  Let me give you an example.  I was in the hospital way over in Boston ten years ago.  My family had to leave and go back to Utah.  I felt so alone.  I realized that Jesus was left alone to suffer for our sins.  He alone could do it because He was a perfect man... whose father was God.  So Jesus was part human and part God.  

We all sin, so because of that the eternal penalty has to be paid for our sins...  that is why  we can not return to  our Heavenly Home. . . unless the penalty is paid. 

Jesus was crucified and died to pay the eternal penalty for our sins.

Because Jesus died for us we can all one day return to live in our Heavenly Home with our Heavenly parents and with Jesus, if we repent of our sins and strive to do better.

After His death, Jesus' spirit went to the Spirit World

In the Spirit World Jesus organized the teaching of the Gospel to the spirits who had not learned it nor accepted it when they were mortals.  We all go to the Spirit World after we die where we continue to progress and learn.  While there we miss our physical bodies and await our resurrection.

Jesus came back to life in what is called the Resurrection.  

Jesus appeared to His apostles and many others in or near Jerusalem
Because Jesus was resurrected we also will get our bodies back one day.  

Jesus visited His people in the Americas.
This story is found in the Book of Mormon.. . starting in  3 Nephi Chapter 11.

NOTE:  On a later date I will add some pictures of the missionary work of the 12 apostles.
All drawings are Copyright Robin Lyman 2017.  Permission is granted to print pictures for coloring.

Leprechauns and Faries

A Young Leprechaun meets a Young Fairy

Leprechauns are a type of fairy from Irish folklore.  Some stories have fairies living very long lives.  Many people don't realize that leprechauns are a type of fairy.  The male leprechauns have a beard.  This young leprechaun is visiting with a young traditional fairy. You can tell he is a young leprechaun because he has not grown in his beard yet.  Probably he is not even 100 years old yet.   Maybe its a Romeo and Juliet tale waiting to happen.

I recommend a great movie we watch every St. Patrick's Day.  It is called, The Magical Legend of the Leprechaun.  It is a great Romeo and Juliet story!  It has been said that the Bible authors (generally prophets, apostles, etc.) and Shakespeare wrote all the stories and other authors just copied them.  

My wife had her DNA tested from Ancestry.com and she found out that she is 5% Irish so we are really celebrating tonight...of course being Mormons, we are not drinking beer.  .  .  but we'll have fun none the less!

Dancing Leprechaun with his Pot Of  Gold