Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. - Ex. 3:1-5

These verses remind me of a personal experience I had a few years ago.

There are two maple trees standing in front of the Seoul Korea Temple on either side of the front door. When fall comes and the leaves of those trees turn red, they look as if they are burning, especially under the landscape lighting at night. The sight of those "burning" maple trees reminded me of the burning bush in the above scripture.

From 1990 to 1993, I was blessed with the calling to serve in the Seoul Korea Temple with my wife. Naturally, during the time that I was serving in the temple, I could see those trees far more often than I had before. Seeing those "burning" trees that often gave me the desire to have an experience when I could hear the voice of the Lord.

One day while I was helping some patrons in the temple, the words of the hymn "Thy Spirit, Lord, Hath Stirred Our Souls" kept ringing through my mind. Especially the following phrase: "And feel thy nearness here below. No burning bush near Sinai."

I pondered that experience. I had never doubted the truthfulness of the latter-day work, especially that of temple work. So I thought to myself that my desire was not appropriate. Maybe my attitude was that of seeking an additional sign.

However, the Lord has taught me in a different way. That was a great lesson to me.

I know that Moses was a prophet and that he spoke with God face to face. He led the people of Israel "through the Red Sea on dry ground."

I love to read the Old Testament. It always helps me to be a better person and feel closer to Heavenly Father.