In my struggle to reconcile two conflicting views of God, I learned more about the nature of my Heavenly Father. For nearly all of my 22 years on earth, I had felt confident in my understanding of God. He was always there when I prayed, I felt his love, and I had seen too… Continue reading
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
The translation of the Book of Mormon was a miracle of modern revelation. When most of us hear the word translation, we think of bilingual dictionaries, conjugation charts, and Google Translate. If we need to verify that something is translated correctly, we might ask a native speaker or someone who… Continue reading
Our spiritual experiences can become the monuments we raise to mark God’s hand in our lives. If you’ve ever been on a hike, you’ve probably seen stones stacked on top of each other. These manmade trail markers, called cairns, have been used to point out a hiker’s course along the trail, ensuring that hikers know which way… Continue reading
Paradigm shifts can rock our world, but they can also bring greater understanding. Before 1697, Westerners believed the idiom “all swans are white.” But when a Dutch explorer discovered a black swan in Australia, his discovery “instantly demolished an apparent reality while also enabling a new, more informed state of… Continue reading
When we choose to sacrifice more through fast offerings, not only will we be blessing others, but our own lives will be blessed as well. In a world of monthly expenses, credit card bills, and student loans, the decision of how much to donate for fast offerings can be a laborious… Continue reading
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
Decisions to take the higher road can make us feel disadvantaged; but when in doubt, consider what the Anti-Nephi-Lehies did. In the Book of Mormon, Aaron presents his account of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies—a people who, when they had come to a knowledge of their Savior, promised never to lift their swords… Continue reading
When Nephi breaks his bow in the Book of Mormon, he teaches us by example how to deal with adversity. The first part of the Book of Mormon follows the journey of Lehi and his family out of Jerusalem, through the wilderness, and across the ocean to the promised land.… Continue reading
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
