The First Mormon Government: The Council of Fifty
Before Joseph Smith ran for US president, he established an organization in Nauvoo to govern the temporal concerns of the Saints. He called the group “the Council of Fifty.” I remember the first time I learned about Joseph Smith’s seer stones, polygamous relationships, and other uncomfortable tidbits of Mormon history. I...
Intellectual Integrity
To truly be intellectually honest, we need to consider the evidence in favor of God’s existence. It’s pretty difficult to make it through life without your faith being challenged at some point; sometimes it happens sooner, sometimes later, but it almost always happens. What we choose to do in those...
Calvary and Gethsemane: Where Did Christ Atone for Our Sins?
We tend to emphasize the role of Gethsemane in Christ’s Atonement, but the Crucifixion at Calvary also plays a crucial role. How can we come closer to Jesus Christ by learning about his death? Where did Christ’s Atonement take place? In Dr. John Hilton III’s interview titled “The Atoning Crucifixion,”...
Gaining Maturity by Cultivating Appreciation
The often-forgotten virtue of appreciation can transform your relationships with others and with God. Think of all the people you’ve interacted with today. Regardless of whether you’re related to them, whether you’re friends with them, or whether you just met them, did you treat them with kindness? Did you say...
Rolling with the Punches
Learn not only to adapt to unexpected situations in life but also to find joy in them too. We’ve all had those days—something breaks, the dog makes a mess inside, we’re late for work, the traffic is endless. Everything that can go wrong, does. Sometimes these days stretch into months,...
Finding Light in Laoag
While serving my mission in the Sunshine City, God not only lit my path but showed me where it leads. When I first read my mission call to Laoag, Philippines, I had no idea how to pronounce Laoag. So of course, I also didn’t know that laoag means light in...

