When Mary learned she was to have a divine Son, she was instructed to name him Jesus. Long before Mary knew He was to be her child, however, the Savior had been given many names—Jehovah, the Lamb of God, the Savior, the Redeemer. In His lifetime, He taught that He was God’s son. The Old Testament and ... Read More

The Book of Mormon frequently quotes Isaiah, beloved by a number of Book of Mormon writers. In the following verse, found in 2 Nephi 16 of the Book of Mormon, and quoted from Isaiah 6, we find a clue as to how God wants us to study the gospel and to make spiritual decisions. 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Who... Read More

Anyone who has seen a temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (incorrectly known as the Mormon Church) has seen the impressive statue of a man with a trumpet that tops most temples. This man is actually an angel named Moroni. A close-up view of the statue makes it clear angels don’t have wings. So what are we to make of the seraphim described in the Bible, in Isaiah, chapter 6, and quoted in the ... Read More

I've had good occasion of late to spend a lot of time considering the value of being a powerful example of Jesus Christ in these last days. On some days it brings huge rewards, and others, not so much. It brings to mind the struggles and trials many prophets, through the ages, have undergone. It helps me to stop, breathe and reassess what I do. When all is said and done, I am still a daughter of God, standing for His Son, Jesus Christ and willing to proclaim Christ's Gospel to the world. Looking back on the words of Joseph Smith, Jr. as he proclaimed to the world: So it was with me. I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in... Read More

In the Book of Exodus, God gave Moses ten commandments, detailing the least that is required of us to be worthy of our place in Heaven. The seventh commandment might appear to us to be out dated—out of touch the reality of modern day life. The seventh commandment is the law of chastity. That commandments teaches that we must practice chastity before marriage and fidelity afterward. However, we have all heard renowned modern-day psychologists say that such old fashioned standards as chastity, virtue and marriage aren’t relevant today and that it’s impossible to live up to such standards Don’t believe it. The value of virtue and chastity are perhaps more relevant today than they have ever been. In his talk, “... Read More

The Fourth of July is one of our family’s favorite holidays. It includes a pancake breakfast in the mountains, a parade, a barbecue, homemade ice cream and a “Driveway of Fire” with the family. The celebration is inspiring and meaningful. It is spent with people we love. Across the country, it is what founding father John Adams expected it to be. “It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” (The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, 1762-1784, Harvard Univ... Read More

Does this sound familiar to you? “Moreover, the Lord saith: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched-forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet—“ This certainly seems to describe the women—and the men—of today, but it was actually first said by Isaiah in chapter 3, verse 16, and was quoted in the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 13:16. Billions of dollars are spent to make women fit the descript... Read More

What does membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the LDS Church) mean for the disciple of Christ? Is it possible to be a disciple without membership? The most basic answer to the second question is yes of course. Anyone who realizes how important Jesus Christ is to them can begin a new life as His disciple. Emulating Jesus Christ is the best goal for anyone in this world. In fact, it is the primary purpose of our time on earth. As we’ve discussed many times, discipleship is a gr... Read More

Years ago, as I was preparing to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints, I was told a story that had a powerful influence upon not only my mission, but also the rest of my life. A young man, whom I knew, was called to serve a mission in Italy. He was so excited to go and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to his brothers and sisters in the great country of Italy. He knew that the message he was going to share was true. ... Read More

As I was sitting in the temple, the other night, I saw a copy of The Book of Mormon on the table next to me. I picked it up and randomly began to read. I had opened to the Book of Alma. Captain Moroni had just torn his coat and written upon it the famous Title of Liberty: "…In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children…" Alma 46:12 As I continued to read, the next few verses stood out to me in a powerful way. For after Moroni fashioned this Title of Liberty upon a pole he, ... Read More

A few days ago I was attending a luncheon with a handful of my blogging sisters. Near the end of the luncheon one of the women asked my mother and me how we felt about my little sister's marriage. Now this is not the first time we have been asked this question. This is probably due to how unique my sister, and her husband's story are. After sharing the details of how they came to be together, my mother and I assured our friends, that we are so happy and totally supportive of my sister's marriage. All you need is to see them together to know that the Lord brought this union about. That is what is so beautiful. Next thing I knew, every one of the women present shared their own sweet story of how they were united with their own true love. As I listened to the various storie... Read More

A lot of people are interested in either obtaining or creating a kit to “grab and go” in case they must be evacuate. A key point that I make is that “all kits are not created equal.” With headlines blaring about the natural disasters taking place world wide more and more newspapers and TV ads are touting their solutions for the best evacuation kits on the earth. For that reason I thought today’s blog should contain some words of caution to help you make your decisions – or even re-make - your evacuation kit decisions. Emergency preparations can easily be driven by rumor, fad or panic. Before you let yourself get all stirred up, use your head and think! For example, not too long ago I heard a very opinionated person ... Read More

How many of us have a clear purpose in life? How many of us can say we have a vision of who we are and what we were meant to be in this world? Some of us may have more knowledge than others. Within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have a little more knowledge about such things than the general population. What is it we know? We know we are literal sons and daughters of a Heavenly Father that loves us and wants the best for us. We know that we lived with Him before we were born into this world. We know that we were sent here to learn, to grow, to ob... Read More

Families are intensely under attack in today’s society. As courts try to alter the definition of marriage, as schools refuse to teach students that children need both a mother and a father, and as media undermines the proper structure of the family unit, those who hope to keep the family intact fight a constant battle. The Book of Mormon says in 2 Nephi chapter 13: 12 And my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they who lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths. In this... Read More

In 2 Nephi 12:8, we read: 8 Their land is also full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made. In this passage, Nephi, the second prophet of the Book of Mormon, is quoting from Isaiah 2. Isaiah is chastising those who worship false gods. Today, many people skim over these passages, thinking they don’t apply to them since they don’t worship statues. However, modern leaders of t... Read More

The temple in Salt Lake City, Utah has become a well-known symbol of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes incorrectly known as the Mormon Church. This temple was prophesied by Isaiah in the scriptures. In 2 Nephi 12, Nephi, the second prophet of the Book of Mormon, quotes Isaiah (See Isaiah Chapter 2 for the King James translation of these verses.) 2 And it shall come to pass i... Read More

The Book of Mormon is given a subtitle that explains it is another testament of Christ. A careful reader of the Book of Mormon will be impressed by how many verses talk about the Savior. It’s been said that on average, He is mentioned once every 1.7 verses. The Savior is discussed long before He is born by Book of Mormon prophets and future prophets. Lehi, the first Book of Mormon p... Read More

Life is busy and complicated. Most of us have more to do each day than we can get done, and we also have a long list of fun things we want to do as well. Some people work diligently through their to-do lists; others dawdle and play. Both groups can seem or even be very busy, and yet not be doing what God has asked us to do. In addition, we may find that however busy we are, we can’t get it all done. Does God have an answer for that problem? He does. The ... Read More

After returning home from serving a full-time mission for the church, I spent two months with my family before leaving to jump right back into school. For eight months I totally immersed myself in the realms of academia. Then I felt prompted to come home. My family needed me, and I probably needed them as well. This is how I found myself back in the same stake singles ward I have been attending since I graduated High School at 17. Where there was a handful of familiar faces, most of my friends from years past had either; graduated from college and moved, or they had gotten married. For the first few months, I forced myself to be outgoing and try to make some ... Read More

In 2 Nephi 9:34 of the Book of Mormon, we learn that there are fierce penalties for lying. Honesty is essential in helping us to live a Christ-like life. When we’re honest, we keep our relationships in good order and have the peace of mind of knowing we have nothing to hide. Unfortunately, honesty is not much practiced in the world today. While many people want to be surrounded... Read More

Yesterday in Sacrament Meeting at church, the topic our assigned speakers spoke on was Love. More specifically they spoke on loving God, and loving our neighbors, which is the greatest of all the commandments! The last single adult to speak began his talk with the powerful New Testament scripture, "Then said Jesus, Father, Forgive them; for they know not what they do…" Luke 23:34 As I heard these words, my mind immediately conjured up the scene where those words were spoken. I saw the Savior of the world hanging in agony upon a Roman cross. He had recently suffered incompr... Read More

During my time serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I was sent to an area where many of the saints were struggling. This area hadn't had missionaries for almost a year before my companion (the missionary I was assigned to serve with)and I arrived. The stress was high. To make matters worse, we both had hard experiences with previous companions. One night we started discussing the problems we were facing in this new area. Before I knew what had happened, we were discussing our past area and companions. The longer we talked, the more unkind our words became. Luckily, we realized what w... Read More

The Book of Mormon speaks often of the importance of gaining a personal testimony of the gospel and of being open to receiving the truth. God wants us to know what’s true, but He can only tell us if we invite Him to do so. This is more than a mere token effort. We have to want to know the truth so badly we will do anything to obtain it, and will gladly act on that truth once we learn it. It can be an unnerving experience to put aside our own will and agree to bend to the will of ... Read More

But wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the things of the world. For because they are rich they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, and their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their god. And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also. (2 Nephi 9:30) This scripture in the Book of Mormon might suggest the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes incorrectly called the Mormon Church) opp... Read More

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes incorrectly called the Mormon Church, is a strong believer in education. It operates a number of church schools and encourages its members to obtain all the education it can. 2 Nephi 9: 29 in the Book of Mormon says: “But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.” This means we mustn’t let our educations lead us astray, but if we can hold on to our testimonies and cont... Read More

Joseph Smith, founder and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or Mormons,) said that, “happiness is the object and design of our existence.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 255.) But if God truly loves us and wants us to be happy, why does so much unhappiness and misery happen every day throughout the world? That question is perhaps the singlemost challenging hurdle in the path of an individuals’ journey of faith. Many good people have fallen trying to cross it, never to get up again, but to give up the journey. Some turn to atheism, choosing to believe there is no God, rather than to accept that He would allow harm t... Read More

Endure to the End. Does that sound familiar to you? How many times have you hear this, or a similar, statement? Did you roll your eyes or take it to heart the last time you heard it? What makes the difference in our perception of this process of “enduring”? Part of it, I think, is trying to define both terms- first what does enduring mean and second when is the end? Enduring carries the following synonyms among many others: bear, tolerate, suffer, undergo, last, continue, go on and carry on. I think all too often we become focused o... Read More

“28 O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. 29 But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God. (2 Nephi 9) Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes referred to as Mormons, are taught that the glory o... Read More

And it shall come to pass that when all men shall have passed from this first death unto life, insomuch as they have become immortal, they must appear before the judgment-seat of the Holy One of Israel; and then cometh the judgment, and then must they be judged according to the holy judgment of God.” (2 Nephi 9:15) What would happen if your country decided to do away with all laws and all courts of justice? Suppose people could do anything they wanted to do and never be judged or required to pay a price? How many people would continue to live as they live today? Some might, but most people would feel free to do anything they wanted to do, regardless of how it affected themselves or others. In a generation or two, when adult... Read More

Imagine what life would be like if you had to live entirely without sin your whole life or be unable to return to live with your Father in Heaven. Would life on earth seem worth it? Would you have agreed to leave Heaven to come to earth if you knew it would be most certainly impossible for you to live well enough to return? God knew we could not live a perfect life here, and that every person who came to earth other than ... Read More

Spencer W. Kimball, former President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or Mormons,) once said: “Marriage can be more an exultant ecstasy than the human mind can imagine” (“Oneness in Marriage,” Tambuli, Jun 1978, 1.) And I believe it is true. My sister lives in humble circumstances, and has her entire married life. Yet, she is happily married. My husband and I did not get to have all the children we desired, nor do we enjoy good health, and yet, we are happ... Read More

This is a subject I speak about with great reverence and gratitude to our Father in Heaven. Life can be very difficult, even unbearable, at times. There are moments when we are drowning in the darkness and despair and feel as if there is no light, no hope left in the world. This is never as our Heavenly Father intended it to be. He intended these to be times of reaching toward the heavens and trusting in Him and His Son, Jesus Christ, to get us through. Many years ago, President David O. McKay, the ninth prophet called in these modern times, told of a desperate time in Mormon history: Some years ago President David O. McKay told from this pulpit of the experience of some of those in the Martin handcart co... Read More

Today I’d like to spend a few minutes exploring the following quote from Lucy Mack Smith: We must cherish one another, watch over one another, and comfort one another… that we may all sit down in heaven together. (Lucy Mack Smith) Lucy Mack Smith was the mother of the f prophet, Joseph Smith. She was a great and hardworking woman. I have no doubt that she made it to her goal of sitting down in heaven. But what of those she wanted to sit with her? I love the fact that she knew there were people she ... Read More

As women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), we are dedicated to "strengthening marriages, families, and homes." We live in a day when more than 50% of marriages in our country fail, dividing families, and wrecking homes. Latter-day Saint women are not left to their own devices, or the offerings of a crumbling culture, to fortify the marriage, family, and home. We have a prophet and God uses him to help us strengthen our marriages, families, and homes. We also have the Holy Ghost to help us apply this general counsel to our specific family's needs. I have been working on my Master's Degree in Educatio... Read More

Will we live our lives according to the principles, practices and precepts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Mormons don't drink, smoke, do drugs or indulge in promiscuity. At least, Mormons who live their religion. But just what is that religion? Much conjecture, supposition and outright falsehoods have been bandied around about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as the Mormons. Many claim we are not Christians, that simply isn't true. Many claim we don't worship the same Jesus Christ as the rest of the Christian world. That probably is true because we worship the Jesus Christ of the New Testament, fully believing He held ... Read More

What can I say about Jesus Christ, the Greatest of us All that has not already been said. From "The Living Christ" signed and dated by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles we learn of our Savior: He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New. Under the direction of His Father, He was the creator of the earth. “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). Though sinless, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He “went about doing good”... Read More

I have been awestruck by the recent account in the news of 18 Gloucester High School girls (mostly sophomores) getting pregnant, apparently excited at the prospect of having a baby on their own. My heart aches for these unborn babies and for the mothers who know so little about what is to come. They offer their babies a life of insecurity and poverty; with an uneducated mother and no father. It is undeniable that these babies deserve more than these children can offer. It is the world’s current state of morality that prompted the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (known as the Mormons) in 1... Read More

Upon Jesus Christ's ascension to heaven forty days after His resurrection (see Acts 1:9-11)the slow decline into the apostasy began. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, taught by the Jehovah of the Old Testament and the Messiah of the New, would soon descend into arguing factions of Christianity across the Middle East. By 300 A.D. Constantine, the Emperor of Rome, would gather fighting bishops together and order them to come together on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Soon the Son of God would be reduced to an ethereal being big enough to fill the universe yet small enough... Read More