Spreading God’s Love on Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day can be a lonely holiday for many of God’s children, but we can help the people in need all around us to feel God’s love on this holiday. When I was young, Valentine’s Day was my favorite holiday. My mom would get up early in the morning to...

The Best Christmas Gifts Only Christ Can Give

The truest desires of our hearts often can’t be bought and placed under the Christmas tree, but they can become a reality because of Jesus Christ. I have a very distinct memory of asking my dad what he wanted for Christmas one year. He simply said, “I just want you...

Christ, the Universal Savior: Lessons from Third Nephi

Jesus Christ’s presence as an active character in Third Nephi proves the Book of Mormon’s purpose of inviting all to come unto Christ.   When I was a missionary, my companion and I met every week with a recently baptized young adult. Our friend struggled with reading, so we would study...

Get on Your Knees and Face It

When life is beating you down, relying on the Lord through prayer can help you confront your trials. A highlight of this week’s Come, Follow Me lesson is the classic scripture 3 Nephi 5:13, which starts off, “For behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.” It’s clear why this...

Lessons from Pahoran: Accepting Feedback with Humility

If we follow Pahoran’s example and practice humility, we can improve our lives and collaborate better with others.  One of the most unexpected lessons I’ve had to learn as an editor is that I need to be just as comfortable receiving feedback as giving it. Editing is a collaborative effort,...
Taking Control of Our Thoughts

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

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 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

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

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

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...