Foster the Desire to Do Good

Lady in red top walking down dirt lane

Can our efforts ever be good enough when we are imperfect at best? Do our desires and our less-than-perfect efforts count for anything? I desire to do good and to improve myself, yet I frequently fall short of my expectations. I feel edified and motivated one day, yet find myself struggling the… Continue reading

Let God Lead the Way

Two people walking through the mountains

The way we face our trials contributes to how happy and successful we are. But how do we face trials that seem impossible to overcome? We all experience disappointment, sadness, sickness, and heartache. Why would a loving Heavenly Father want us to face such adversity? He does not give us… Continue reading

Diary of a Soon-to-Be Mother

pregnant woman with hand on stomach

With two more semesters to go before my college graduation, my husband and I discovered that I was pregnant. How could I do what the Lord wanted while fulfilling my own goals? As a young woman, I always had a fear that I wouldn’t get married or have a family. But… Continue reading

Don’t Allow Mistakes to Paralyze Your Progress

Path in woods.

Life will throw challenges our way that threaten to paralyze us with fear. But when we continue to show up and try, our mistakes can become valuable opportunities for learning and growth. The world teaches us to avoid mistakes at all costs. Words such as failure, loser, and not good… Continue reading

Your Journey Toward Joy

gravel road through the forest with the sun shining through the trees.

Understanding God and his plan for us can make it easier for us to navigate the decisions we face throughout our lives. Making decisions can be stressful, especially if we are worried about making the right choices for our futures. In her LDS.org blog article “You’re Not Messing Up God’s… Continue reading

Cultivating Constant Companionship

two women looking at Ensign

When we strive to listen to the Holy Ghost, we can be blessed not just with occasional guidance but with constant companionship. Standing with his father in a hospital room, President Henry B. Eyring watched his mother succumb to cancer. After years of fighting the disease, she passed from this… Continue reading

Keeping Homes Intact: The LDS Church and the Children of Same-Sex Couples

The policy change regarding children of same-sex couples is not intended to discriminate against these children. Its intent is to prevent them from getting caught in a tug-of-war between the Church and their parents. In November 2015, LDS Church officials issued an instructional letter clarifying that children living in a same-sex… Continue reading

3 Dos and Don’ts for Asking Effective Questions

a teacher in a gospel class, in spanish

Do you use effective questions when teaching the gospel at church or at home? Imagine you are in Sunday School. Your teacher wants the discussion to go a certain direction that works with his or her notes, but also wants to ask a question to get people involved. In order to drive the discussion,… Continue reading

Computer Screens and Big Blessings

Boy sitting on ledge looking at screen of a laptop

As a generation of texters and tweeters, we have been prepared to serve our ancestors through family history work and to lay claim to promised blessings.  With the increasing number of genealogy records on the Internet and the tools to access them, you don’t have to be a genealogist to… Continue reading

Choose Joy—Choose Repentance

The choice to forsake sin and repent may be hard, but it will bring joy. Some people struggle with charity. Some people struggle with purity. But as a kid, Elder Dale G. Renlund struggled with lighting firecrackers before sacrament meetings. In his talk “Repentance: A Joyful Choice,” Elder Renlund describes how, when he… Continue reading