Overwhelmed by Church Expectations

The story of the rich young ruler can help us understand that Church standards are not requirements from the Church, but rather encouragement from the Lord. In young adulthood, many of us struggle to hold on to our faith. There are many things that people question when their faith falters,… Continue reading

Which Cross is Mine and How Do I Bear It?

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” —Matthew 16:25  Jesus Christ had a heavy cross to bear. His divine mission on earth was to provide eternal salvation for the souls of all mankind. In Matthew 16,… Continue reading

Choosing Progress over Perfection

Man sitting in a cave

In a world focused on achievement and perfection, let’s remove unrealistic expectations by celebrating our progress. In his talk “Be Ye Therefore Perfect—Eventually,” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles emphasizes the importance of not beating ourselves up when we seem to keep falling short. He… Continue reading

The Second Miracle: Made Confident through Christ

Jesus hugging the man who was born blind

There’s no shame in simply starting with what you know. If you just continue moving forward, Christ will help you build your confidence. When we doubt, we may think that we lack faith; however, we do not need to be ashamed of our doubt. The story in John 9 about… Continue reading

Going the Extra Mile to Minister

When we go the extra mile to minister, the Lord blesses us with the ability to serve others and live a full life. If you’re like me, the new ministering program announced last year has held more confusion than revelation. With such an open-ended directive to serve each other, this… Continue reading

Empowering Our Children

How can we protect and empower the children in our lives? Marissa Widdison turns to examples from the Savior’s life for answers. Each day, children are bombarded with new dangers, and as adults it can be hard to know what we can do to help the future generations stay on… Continue reading

Judging to Save, Not Destroy

As future leaders of the rising generation, we must learn how to judge in Christ’s way, which is “merciful, loving, and redemptive, not condemning.” When speaking to young adults, President Russell M. Nelson has said, “you are the future leaders of the Lord’s Church!” It is thus our sacred opportunity to… Continue reading

Finding Your Miracles

We read about many miracles in the scriptures, but do miracles still happen today? In the New Testament we read about the miracles Jesus performed when he healed multitudes of the sick and the maimed. You may also have heard a few modern stories of people whose bodies have healed… Continue reading

Are You There, God?

Sometimes when it seems like God is silent, we need only to be patient, and we will see his hand in our lives. “Are you there, God? It’s me, Mackenzie.” “Heavenly Father, are you really there? And are you hearing and answering my prayers?” I know I’m not the only… Continue reading

Building a Sure Testimony: Three Lessons We Can Learn from Peter

From Peter’s example, we can learn how to strengthen our testimonies of the Savior. Peter is an apostle we hear a lot about— he walked on water with Jesus Christ, cut off a Roman soldier’s ear, and became the lead Apostle after Christ’s death. He is a great example of… Continue reading