My Mother’s Prayer

I’ve seen the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise in Doctrine and Covenants 19:38 many times. That blessing was particularly meaningful one night on a train in Europe. When I was a junior in high school, I and 80 classmates in AP European History went on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe.… Continue reading

#floodtheearth: Hastening the Work Through Technology

In our media-filled society, what can we do to help the Lord hasten his work? Whether you’re a social media master or someone who hasn’t quite figured out what a tweet is, you can find help in Elder David A. Bednar’s 2014 Education Week address, “To Sweep the Earth as… Continue reading

Will Forgiveness Come?

Because we sometimes feel ashamed of the need to repent, we forget that the Savior wants to forgive us. There is a common perception that asking for forgiveness is something to be ashamed of. Repenting of our sins can seem daunting. We imagine ourselves kneeling before the throne of grace,… Continue reading

Science Is Catching Up

Modern science continues to affirm the blessings of following the Word of Wisdom. In his Ensign article, “A Principle with Promises,” G. Craig Kiser discusses the counsel given in Doctrine and Covenants 89 with an insightful approach to the Word of Wisdom. Not surprisingly, there is scientific evidence to support the… Continue reading

Before the Doctrine and Covenants

glasses on scriptures

The “Revelation Books” preceded what we now know as the Doctrine and Covenants. Thanks to these books, the path for publishing modern revelation was open.   As the prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith was given power by God to translate the golden plates… Continue reading

The Unprinted Pages in the Original Book of Commandments

pages on a printing press

Scholars at the Joseph Smith Papers propose what might have been included in the Book of Commandments if the printing office had not been destroyed by a mob. In July 1833, vigilantes razed William Phelps’s home where he was printing copies of Joseph Smith’s revelations that were then known as… Continue reading

Did Joseph Smith Write about Your Ancestors?

Joseph Smith Papers

Are your ancestors mentioned in the pages of Church history during Joseph Smith’s day? Find out through a quick and easy—and free—search. One day, after venturing onto the Joseph Smith Papers website, I discovered the search engine designed specifically for finding individuals’ names in the site’s collection of documents. The… Continue reading

Trusting the Lord’s Health Code

muddy shoes

Ever have doubts about the Word of Wisdom? The original document of this 1833 revelation gives another reason to trust its divinity. Stories of famous stars using drugs show up on Buzzfeed and HuffPost. Peer pressure to drink and smoke blows up your newsfeed. People taunt, “Why can’t you drink… Continue reading

A New Look at an Old Text: Viewing the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants Online

three young men on a tablet, smiling and looking at things

Flip through an original copy of an 1835 version of the Doctrine and Covenants online and find amazing history in its pages. Looking for a new way to study the Doctrine and Covenants? The Joseph Smith Papers Project has made available a free online version of the 1835 Doctrine and… Continue reading

“O God, Where Art Thou?”: The Trials of Liberty Jail

icicles on a wooden beam

When everything seems to go wrong, has God left us to face our trials alone? On December 1, 1838, six men, including the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, were wrongfully imprisoned in the dungeon of Liberty Jail in Clay County, Missouri. One of the other innocent captives charged with… Continue reading