
Taking Control of Our Thoughts
We can be empowered to take control over our own thoughts and increase our spiritual connection to God. Some days it feels like everywhere I turn I’m being overwhelmed by information. Sometimes my mind can’t take it, and I feel like I’ve lost control of my own thoughts. But I’ve...

Seeing Samson as a Messianic Prototype
Archaeological digs have uncovered mosaics and prayers suggesting Samson as an important messianic prototype in ancient Galilee. Samson of the Old Testament is revered for his strength and wit in his endeavors to deliver Israel from the Philistines. But his affair with Delilah made the biblical judge a controversial character,...

Building Healthy Community through a Gospel of Beauty
Building a healthy community may mean asking for help—Minerva Teichert did just that, helping her paint a gospel of beauty through her art. Building a healthy community means supporting one another, but it begins by having the courage to ask for help. In Laura Paulsen Howe’s article “I Have Dreamed...

Sally Randall’s Letters from Nauvoo
Joseph Smith’s death was a heartrending event in Church history. In her letters home, Sally Randall shares her faith-filled perspective of the tragedy. The martyrdom of Joseph Smith on June 27, 1844, was unjust and abhorrent. However, many early Saints did not let Joseph’s death shake their faith. Sally Randall, a woman...

One Thing You’re Forgetting When You Pray
If you’re praying for God’s healing Balm of Gilead, remember that other people are too. You might be surprised how serving others will call down the power of heaven on your own behalf. Mortality is hard for all of us—nothing we do can earn us a pass from the “sore...

Following the Spirit to Comfort Others
Sometimes a little comfort is all you need to make it through a particularly bad day, week, month, or even year. The Holy Spirit is quiet, but if we let it, it can make a powerful difference in our lives. Not only does it help us to make hard decisions...